AFRICAN 
STANDARD  DARS  
1073  
First Edition 2023 
 
 Reference No. DARS 1073 :2023(E) 
 
ICS: 67.100.30  
 
© ARSO 202 3 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cheese— Specification  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 DARS 1073 :2023 
ii © ARSO 2023 — All rights reserved   
Table of contents  
 
1 Scope  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .............  1 
2 Normative references  ................................ ................................ ................................ .....................  1 
3 Terms and definitions  ................................ ................................ ................................ .....................  1 
4 Requirements  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ . 1 
4.1 Raw materials  ................................ ................................ ................................ ........................  1 
4.2 General requirement  ................................ ................................ ................................ ..............  2 
4.3 Compositional Requirements ................................ ................................ ................................ . 2 
5 Food Additives  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................  3 
6 Contaminants  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ . 3 
7 Hygiene  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ..........  3 
8 Labelling  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ .........  3 
8.1 Name of the food  ................................ ................................ ................................ ...................  3 
8.2 Declaration of milk fat content  ................................ ................................ ...............................  4 
8.3 Date marking  ................................ ................................ ................................ .........................  4 
8.4 Additional Mandatory Requirements.  ................................ ................................ ....................  4 
8.5 Labelling of non -retail containers  ................................ ................................ ...........................  4 
9      Packaging…………………………………………………………………………...…… ………………... 4 
10 Methods of Sampling and Analysis  ................................ ................................ ................................  5 
Annex A1 (informative) Glossary of Terms  ................................ ................................ ..............................  6 
Bibliography  ................................ ................................ ................................ ................................ ............  7 
 
  DARS 1073 :2023 
© ARSO 202 3 — All rights reserved  iii Foreword  
 
The African Organization for Standardization (ARS O) is an African intergovernmental organization 
established by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the Organization of 
African Unity (AU)  in 1977 . One of the fundamental mandates of ARSO is to develop and harmoniz e 
African Standards (ARS) for the purpose of enhancing Africa’s internal trading capacity, increase 
Africa’s product and service competitiveness globally and uplift the welfare of African communities.  The 
work of preparing African  Standards is normally carried out through ARSO  technical committees. Each 
Member State  interested in a subject for which a technical committee has been established has the 
right to be represented on that committee. International organizations, Regional Economic Communities 
(RECs), governmental and non -governmental  organizations , in liaison with ARSO , also take part in the 
work.  
 
ARSO  Standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.  
 
The main task of technical committees is to prepare ARSO  Standards. Draft ARSO  Standards adopted 
by the technical committees are circulated to the member bodies for voting. Publication as an ARSO  
Standard requires approval by at least 75 % of the member bodies casting a vote.  
 
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of 
patent rights. ARSO  shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.  
 
Acknowledged the CODEX STAN 283, General Standard for Cheese is our main reference for this 
ARSO standard.  
 
This African Standard was prepared by the ARSO Technical Committee on Milk and milk products 
(ARSO/TC 04) 
 
 
© African Organisation for Standardisation  2023 — All rights reserved * 
 
ARSO Central Secretariat  
International House 3rd Floor  
P. O. Box 57363 — 00200 City Square  
NAIROBI, KENYA  
 
Tel. +254 -20-2224561, +254 -20-3311641, +254 -20-3311608  
 
E-mail: arso@arso -oran.org  
Web: www.arso -oran.org  
  
 
* © 2023 ARSO — All rights of exploitation reserved worldwide for African Member States’ NSBs.  DARS 1073 :2023 
iv © ARSO 2023 — All rights reserved   
Copyright notice  
 
This ARSO document is copyright -protected by ARSO. While the reproduction of this document 
by participants in the ARSO standards development process is permitted without prior permission 
from ARSO, neither this document nor any extract from it may be reproduced, stored or 
transmitted in any form for any other purpose without prior writt en permission from ARSO.  
 
Requests for permission to reproduce this document for the purpose of selling it should be 
addressed as shown below or to ARSO’s member body in the country of the requester:  
 
 
© African Organisation for Standardisation 20 23 — All rights reserved  
 
ARSO Central Secretariat  
International House 3rd Floor  
P.O. Box 57363 — 00200 City Square  
NAIROBI, KENYA  
 
Tel: +254 -20-2224561, +254 -20-3311641, +254 -20-3311608  
 
 
E-mail: arso@arso -oran.org  
Web: www.arso -oran.org  
 
Reproduction for sales purposes may be subject to royalty payments or a licensing agreement. 
Violators may be p rosecuted.  
 
 
 DARS 1073 :2023 
© ARSO 202 3 — All rights reserved  1  
Cheese— Specification  
 
 
1 Scope  
 This Draft African Standard specifies the requirements, sampling and test methods for cheese intended 
for direct human consumption or further processing . 
 
This general standard  appli es in addition to any further specifications for individual varieties of cheese, 
or groups of varieties of cheese which is a subject of specific African Standard designated by a specific 
name.  
 
2 Normative references  
 
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document.  
 
CXS 283 - General Standard for  Cheese  
 
CODEX STAN 192 -General Standard for Food Additives  
 
CXS 193 -General Standard for Contaminants and Toxins in Food and Feed  
 
CXC 1 -General Principles of Food Hygiene  
 
CXC 57 -Code of Hygienic Practice for Milk and Milk Products  
 
CXG 21 -Establishment and Application of Microbiological Criteria Related to Foods  
 
ARS 56 , Pre-packaged foods — Labelling  
 
ARS xxx , Terms and definitions  
 
3 Terms and definitions  
 
For the purpose of this standard the following definitions apply.  
 
3.1 Cheese is the ripened or unripned  soft, semi -hard, hard, or extra -hard product, which may be 
coated, and in which the whey protein/casein ratio does not exceed that of  milk, obtained by:  
 
(a) coagulating wholly or partly the protein of milk, skimmed milk, partly skimmed milk, cream, whey 
cream or buttermilk, or any combination of these materials, through the action of rennet or other suitable 
coagulating agents, and by partially draining th e whey resulting from the coagulation, while respecting 
the principle that cheese -making results in a concentration of milk protein (in particular, the casein 
portion), and that consequently, the protein content of the cheese will be distinctly higher than  the 
protein level of the blend of the above milk materials from which the cheese was made; and/or  
(b) processing techniques involving coagulation of the protein of milk and/or products obtained from 
milk which give an end -product with similar physical, chemical and organoleptic characteristics as the 
product defined under (a).  
 
 
For more information, j ust refer to Annex A (informative)  
 
 
4 Requirements  
 
4.1 Raw materials  
 
4.1.1  Essential Raw materials  
AFRICAN STANDARD  DARS 1073 :2023 
2 © ARSO 2023 — All rights reserved   
Milk and/or products obtained from milk.  
 
4.1.2 Optional Raw material  
 
– Starter cultures of harmless lactic acid and/ or flavour producing bacteria and cultures of other 
harmless micro -organisms  
– Rennet or other safe and suitable coagulating enzymes  
– Sodium chloride  or potassium chloride  
– Potable water  
– Gelatine and starches: Notwithstanding the prov isions in the  Africa n cheese specification (ARS 
1073) , these substances can be used in the same function as stabilizers, provided they are added 
only in amounts functionally necessary as governed by Good Manufacturing Practice taking into 
account any use of the stabilisers/thickeners up on Codex food additiv es reference.  
– Vinegar  
– Rice, corn and potato flours and starches: Notwithstanding the provis ions in the  Africa n cheese 
specification (ARS  1073) , these substances can be used in the same function as anti -caking agents 
for treatment of the surface of cut, sliced, and shredded products only, provided they are added only 
in amounts functionally necessary as governed by Good Manufacturing Practice tak ing into account 
any use of the anti -caking agents up on Codex food additives reference.  
 
4.2 General requirement  
 
Cheese shall be free from dirt and foreign matter and without off - flavours and textural defects.  
 
4.3 Compositional  Requirements  
 
Table (1) designation according to firmness and ripening characteristics  
 
DESIGNATION ACCORDING TO FIRMNESS AND RIPENING CHARACTERISTICS  
According to firmness: Term 1  According to principal ripening: Term 2  
MFFB%  Designation  
< 51  Extra hard  Ripened  
49–56  Hard  Mould ripened  
54–69  Firm/Semi -hard  Unripened/Fresh  
> 67  Soft  In Brine  
 
MFFB equals percentage moisture on a fat -free basis, i.e.,  
 
 X 100  
 
 
 
Example:  
The designation of a cheese with moisture on a fat -free basis of 57% which is ripened in a manner 
similar in which Danablu is ripened would be:  
 
“Mould ripened firm cheese or firm mould ripened cheese.”  
 
Table (2) : Milk Fat content  
 
Fat Content  FDM %  
High fat  above or equal to 60%  
Full fat  above or equal to 45% and less than 60%  
Medium fat  above or equal to 25% and less than 45%)  
Partially skimmed  above or equal to 10% and less than 25%)  Weight of moisture in the cheese  
Total weight of cheese – Weight of fat in the cheese  DARS 1073 :2023 
© ARSO 202 3 — All rights reserved  3 Skim  FDM is less than 10%)  
 
Note:  FDM %  means fat in the dry matter”  
 
5 Food Additives  
 
Food additives  may be used and only within the limits specified  in General Standard for Food Additives  
CODEX STAN 192 – Category 01.6 .1 (unripened  cheese) & 01.6.2  (ripened cheese) and table 3  
 
6 Contaminants  
 
6.1 The products covered by this Standard shall comply with the Maximum Levels for contaminants that 
are specified for the product in the General Standard for Contaminants and Toxins in Food and Feed 
(CXS 193 -1995).  
 
6.2 Mycotoxins  
 
When tested in accordance with ISO 14501, the level of aflatoxin M1 shall not (exceed 0.50 μg/kg.)  
 
7 Hygiene  
 
It is recommended that the products covered by the provisions of this standard be prepared and handled 
in accordance with the appropriate sections of the General Principles of Food Hygiene (CXC 1 -1969), 
the Code of Hygienic Practice for Milk and Milk Produ cts (CXC 57 -2004) and other relevant Codex texts 
such as Codes of Hygienic Practice and Codes of Practice. The products should comply with any 
microbiological criteria established in accordance with the Principles and Guidelines for the 
Establishment and A pplication of Microbiological Criteria Related to Foods (CXG 21 -1997).  
 
Food Category  Micro -
organisms  Sampling plan  Limits  Test method 
reference  Limit 
Reference  n c m M 
Un ripened , 
ripened  soft, 
semi hard, hard 
and very hard 
cheese 
produced 
cheese from 
heat treated 
milk or whey  Salmonella  5 0 Absence in 25 
g ISO 6579 -1 EU regulation  
Listeria 
monocytogenes  5 0 Absence in 25 
g ISO 11290 -1  
Coagulase -
positive 
staphylococci  5 0 102 
cfu/g
m 103cf
u/gm  ISO 6888 -1  
Staphylococcal 
entero -toxins for 
cheese made 
from Raw milk  5 2 104cf
u/g 105cf
u/gm  European 
screening 
method for the 
detection of 
Staphylococci   
Escherichia Coli  5 2 102 
cfu/g
m 103cf
u/gm  ISO 16649 -1  
 
 
8 Labelling  
 
In addition to the provisions of the ARSO standard ARS -56 and the General Standard for the Use of 
Dairy Terms (CXS 206 -1999), the following specific provisions apply:  
 
8.1 Name of the food  DARS 1073 :2023 
4 © ARSO 2023 — All rights reserved   
The name of the food shall be cheese. However, the word “cheese” may be omitted in the designation 
of an individual cheese variety reserved by a Codex standard for individual cheeses, and, in the 
absence thereof, a variety name specified in the national legislation of the country in which the product 
is sold, provided that the omission does not create an erro neous impression regarding the character of 
the food.  
 
8.1.1  In case the product is not designated with a variety name but with the designation “cheese” 
alone, the designation may be accompanied by the appropriate descriptive terms according to table 1  
 
 
8.2 Declaration of milk fat content  
 
The milk fat content shall be declared in a manner found acceptable in the country of sale to the final 
consumer, either (i) as a percentage by mass, (ii) as a percentage of fat in dry matter, or (iii) in grams 
per serving as quantified in the label provid ed that the number of servings is stated.  
Additionally,  terms may be used  as per table (2).  
 
 
8.3 Date marking  
 
Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 5.7.1 of the General Standard for the Labelling of Pre-
packaged  Foods ( ARS 56 ), the date of minimum durability need not be declared in the labelling of firm, 
hard and extra hard cheese which are not mould/soft -ripened and not intended to be purchased as such 
by the final consumer: in such cases the date of manufacture shall be decl ared.  
 
8.4 Additional Mandatory Requirements.  
 
List of ingredients  
 
i. Name and address of manufacturer or distributor or packer.  
 
ii. net weight in metric unit.  
 
iii. Country of origin.  
 
iv. ‘Best before date’ (dd/mm/yy).  
 
v. storage Conditions and instructions.  
 
vi. lot identification, batch or code number.  
 
The language on the label shall be English. Additional language may be used depending on the 
designated market.  
 
Allergen information  
 
8.5 Labelling of non -retail containers  
 
Information required in Section 7 of this Standard and Sections 4.1 to 4.8 of the Standard for the 
Labelling of Pre-packaged  Foods (ARS 56)  and, if necessary, storage instructions, shall be given either 
on the container or in accompanying documents, except that the name of the product, lot identification, 
and the name and address of the manufacturer or packer shall appear on the container, an d in the 
absence of such a container on the cheese itself. However, lot identification, and the name and address 
of the manufacturer or packer may be replaced by an identification mark, provided that such a mark is 
clearly identifiable with the accompanyin g documents.  
 DARS 1073 :2023 
© ARSO 202 3 — All rights reserved  5  
 
    9  Packaging  
A container or outer contain er in which the Cheese  is packed shall:  
(a) be made from a material that :  
 (i) is suitable for this purpose;  
(ii) will protect the contents thereof from contamination; and  
(iii) will not impart any undesirable flavour or taste to the contents thereof;  
(b) be so strong that it will not be damaged or deformed during normal storage, handling and transport 
practices;  
(c) in the case of a container that is re -used, be thoroughly cleaned and sterilized before the Cheese  
 is packed therein;  
(d) be intact; and  
(e) be closed properly in a manner permitted by the nature thereof.  
 
 
10 Methods of Sampling and Analysis  
 
For checking the compliance with this standard, the methods of analysis and sampling contained in the 
Recommended Methods of Analysis and Sampling (CXS 234 -1999) relevant to the provisions in this 
standard, shall be used.  
 
 DARS 1073 :2023 
© ARSO 202 3 — All rights reserved  6 Annex A  
(informative)  
Glossary of Terms  
 
Ripened cheese  is cheese,  which is not ready for consumption shortly after manufacture, but which 
must be held for such time, at such temperature, and under such other conditions as will result in the 
necessary biochemical and physical changes characterizing the cheese in question . 
 
Mould ripened  cheese is a ripened cheese in which the ripening has been accomplished primarily by 
the development of characteristic mould growth throughout the interior and/or on the surface of the 
cheese.  
Unripned  cheese  including fresh cheese is cheese which is ready for consumption shortly after 
manufacture.  
 
Cheese Rind During ripening of the molded  cheese curd in natural creation or in environments in which 
the air humidity and, possibly, air composition are controlled, the outside of the cheese will develop into 
a semi -closed layer with a lower moisture content. This part of the cheese is called ri nd. The rind is 
constituted of cheese mass which, at the start of the ripening, is of the same composition as the internal 
part of the cheese. In many cases, the brining of cheese initiates the formation of rind. Du e to the 
influence of the salt gradient in the brine, of oxygen, of drying out and of other reactions, the rind 
successively becomes of a somewhat different composition than the interior of the cheese and often 
presents a more bitter taste.  
During or after ripening the cheese rind can be treated or can be naturally colonized with desired 
cultures of microorganisms, for instance Penicillium candidum or Brevibacterium linens. The resulting 
layer, in some cases referred to as smear, forms a part  of the rind.  
 
Rindless cheese  is ripened by the use of a ripening film. The outer part of that cheese does not develop 
a rind with a lower moisture content although influence of light of course can cause some difference 
compared to the inner part.  
 
Cheese Surface  The term “cheese surface” is used for the outside layer of cheese or parts of cheese, 
even in the sliced, shredded or grated form. The term includes the outside of the whole cheese, 
disregarding whether a rind has been formed or not.  
 
Cheese Coatings  Cheese  can be coated prior to the ripening, during the ripening process or when the 
ripening has been finished. When a coating is used during ripening the purpose of the coating is to 
regulate the moisture content of the cheese and to protect the cheese against micro -organisms.  
 
Coating of a cheese  after the ripening has been finished is done to protect the cheese against 
microorganisms and other contamination, to protect the cheese from physical damage during transport 
and distribution and/or to give the cheese a specific appearance (e.g. coloured) . 
 
Coating  can be distinguished very easily from rind, as coatings are made of non -cheese material, and 
very often it is possible to remove the coating again by brushing, rubbing or peeling it off.  
 
Cheese can be coated with:  
 
– A film, very often polyvinylacetate, but also other artificial material or material composed of natural 
ingredients, which helps to regulate the humidity during ripening and protects the cheese against 
microorganisms (for example, ripening films) 1 
 
– A layer, mostly wax, paraffin or a plastic, which normally is impermeable to moisture, to protect the 
cheese after ripening against microorganisms and against physical damage during retail handling and, 
in some cases to contribute to the presentation of the cheese.  
 
  DARS 1073 :2023 
© ARSO 202 3 — All rights reserved  7 Bibliography  
 
 
 
 
 CD-ARS 1073 :2023 
© ARSO 202 3 — All rights reserved