In January, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will launch a pilot program to sample and test domestic and imported raw milk cheese aged at least 60 days for Salmonella, L. monocytogenes, and E. coli O157:H7. On December 19, members of the American Cheese Society (ACS) Regulatory & Academic Committee attended a conference call held by FDA to share information about the program.

This program will test a new microbiological sampling surveillance model, which should help to fill knowledge gaps on the prevalence of microbiological hazards in commodities and increase FDA’s understanding of risks, contamination rates, and mitigation strategies.

Along with raw milk cheese, the pilot program will include domestic and imported sprouts and raw almonds.

Sampling will begin in January 2014 (an exact date has not been provided) and will last for approximately 12 months. Sampling may take place at any point in the supply chain for domestic cheeses, including at the cheesemaking plant. For imported cheeses, sampling will occur at locations where the cheese normally enters the U.S.