§ 133.123 Cold-pack and club cheese. ( a ) ( 1 ) Cold-pack cheese, club cheese, is the food prepared by comminuting, without the aid of heat, one or more cheeses of the same or two or more varieties, except cream cheese, neufchatel cheese, cottage cheese, lowfat cottage cheese, cottage cheese dry curd, hard grating cheese, semisoft part-skim cheese, part-skim spiced cheese and skim milk cheese for manufacturing, into a homogeneous plastic mass. One or more of the optional ingredients designated in paragraph (c) of this section may be used.
( 2 ) All cheeses used in a cold-pack cheese are made from pasteurized milk or are held for not less than 60 days at a temperature of not less than 35 °F before being comminuted.
( 3 ) ( i ) The moisture content of a cold-pack cheese made from a single variety of cheese is not more than the maximum moisture content prescribed by the definition and standard of identity, if any there be, for the variety of cheese used. If there is no applicable definition and standard of identity, or if such standard contains no provision as to maximum moisture content, no water is used in the preparation of the cold-pack cheese.
( ii ) The fat content of the solids of a cold-pack cheese made from a single variety of cheese is not less than the minimum prescribed by the definition and standard of identity, if any there be, for the variety of cheese used, but in no case is less than 47 percent, except that the fat content of the solids of cold-pack swiss cheese is not less than 43 percent, and the fat content of the solids of cold-pack gruyere cheese is not less than 45 percent.
( 4 ) ( i ) The moisture content of a cold-pack cheese made from two or more varieties of cheese is not more than the arithmetical average of the maximum moisture contents prescribed by the definitions and standards of identity, if any there be, for the varieties of cheese used, but in no case is the moisture content more than 42 percent, except that the moisture content of a cold-pack cheese made from two or more of the varieties cheddar cheese, washed curd cheese, colby cheese, and granular cheese is not more than 39 percent.
( ii ) The fat content of the solids of a cold-pack cheese made from two or more varieties of cheese is not less than the arithmetical average of the minimum percent of fat prescribed by the definitions and standards of identity, if any there be, for the varieties of cheese used, but in no case is less than 47 percent, except that the fat content of the solids of a cold-pack cheese made from swiss cheese and gruyere cheese is not less than 45 percent.
( 5 ) Moisture and fat are determined by the methods prescribed in § 133.5(a), (b), and (d).
( 6 ) The weight of each variety of cheese in a cold-pack cheese made from two varieties of cheese is not less than 25 percent of the total weight of both, except that the weight of blue cheese, nuworld cheese, roquefort cheese, or gorgonzola cheese is not less than 10 percent of the total weight of both, and the weight of limburger cheese is not less than 5 percent of the total weight of both. The weight of each variety of cheese in a cold-pack cheese made from three or more varieties of cheese is not less than 15 percent of the total weight of all, except that the weight of blue cheese, nuworld cheese, roquefort cheese, or gorgonzola cheese is not less than 5 percent of the total weight of all, and the weight of limburger cheese is not less than 3 percent of the total weight of all. These limits do not apply to the quantity of cheddar cheese, washed curd cheese, colby cheese, and granular cheese in mixtures which are designated as “American cheese” as prescribed in paragraph (d)(2) of this section. Such mixtures are considered as one variety of cheese for the purpose of this paragraph (a)(6).
( b ) Cold-pack cheese may be smoked, or the cheese or cheeses from which it is made may be smoked, before comminuting and mixing, or it may contain substances prepared by condensing or precipitating wood smoke.
( c ) The optional ingredients referred to in paragraph (a) of this section are: ( 1 ) An acidifying agent consisting of one or any mixture of two or more of the following: A vinegar, lactic acid, citric acid, acetic acid, and phosphoric acid, in such quantity that the pH of the finished cold-pack cheese is not below 4.5. For the purposes of this section vinegar is considered to be acetic acid.
( 2 ) Water.
( 3 ) Salt.
( 4 ) Harmless artificial coloring.
( 5 ) Spices or flavorings, other than any which singly or in combination with other ingredients simulate the flavor of a cheese of any age or variety.
( 6 ) Cold-pack cheese in consumer-sized packages may contain an optional mold-inhibiting ingredient consisting of sorbic acid, potassium sorbate, sodium sorbate, or any combination of two or more of these, in an amount not to exceed 0.3 percent by weight, calculated as sorbic acid or consisting of not more than 0.3 percent by weight of sodium propionate, calcium propionate, or a combination of sodium propionate and calcium propionate.
( d ) ( 1 ) The name of a cold-pack cheese for which a definition and standard of identity is prescribed by this section is “Cold-pack ______ cheese”, “______ cold-pack cheese” or “______ club cheese”, the blanks being filled in with the name or names of the varieties of cheese used, in order of predominance by weight.
( 2 ) If the cold-pack cheese is made of cheddar cheese, washed curd cheese, colby cheese, or granular cheese or any mixture of two or more of these, it may be designated “Cold-pack American cheese”; or when cheddar cheese, washed curd cheese, colby cheese, granular cheese, or any mixture of two or more of these is combined with other varieties of cheese in the cheese ingredient any of such cheeses or such mixture may be designated as “American cheese”.
( 3 ) The full name of the food shall appear on the principal display panel of the label in type of uniform size, style, and color. Wherever any word or statement emphasizing the name of any ingredient appears on the label (other than in an ingredient statement as specified in paragraph (f) of this section) so conspicuously as to be easily seen under customary conditions of purchase, the full name of the food shall immediately and conspicuously precede or follow such word or statement in type of at least the same size as the type used in such word or statement.
( e ) The name of the food shall include a declaration of any flavoring, including smoke and substances prepared by condensing or precipitating wood smoke, that characterizes the product as specified in § 101.22 of this chapter and a declaration of any spice that characterizes the product.
( f ) Each of the ingredients used in the food shall be declared on the label as required by the applicable sections of parts 101 and 130 of this chapter, except that cheddar cheese, washed curd cheese, colby cheese, granular cheese, or any mixture of two or more of these, may be designated as “American cheese”. ( 1 ) Artificial coloring need not be declared.
( 2 ) If the cheese ingredient contains cheddar cheese, washed curd cheese, colby cheese, granular cheese, or any mixture of two or more of these, such cheese or such mixture may be designated as “American cheese”.
[42 FR 14366, Mar. 15, 1977, as amended at 49 FR 10093, Mar. 19, 1984; 58 FR 2892, Jan. 6, 1993]