II

106TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION S. 2630

To prohibit products that contain dry ultra-filtered milk products or casein

from being labeled as domestic natural cheese, and for other purposes.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

MAY 25, 2000

Mr. FEINGOLD (for himself and Mr. JEFFORDS) introduced the following bill;

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry

A BILL

To prohibit products that contain dry ultra-filtered milk

products or casein from being labeled as domestic natural

cheese, and for other purposes.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Quality Cheese Act

5 of 2000’’.

6 SEC. 2. NATURAL CHEESE STANDARD.

7 (a) FINDINGS.—Congress finds that—

8 (1)(A) any change in domestic natural cheese

9 standards to allow dry ultra-filtered milk products or
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•S 2630 IS

1 casein to be labeled as domestic natural cheese

2 would result in increased costs to the dairy price

3 support program; and

4 (B) that change would be unfair to taxpayers,

5 who would be forced to pay more program costs;

6 (2) any change in domestic natural cheese

7 standards to allow dry ultra-filtered milk products or

8 casein to be labeled as domestic natural cheese

9 would result in lower revenues for dairy farmers;

10 (3) any change in domestic natural cheese

11 standards to allow dry ultra-filtered milk products or

12 casein to be labeled as domestic natural cheese

13 would cause dairy products containing dry ultra-fil14 tered milk or casein to become vulnerable to con15 tamination and would compromise the sanitation,

16 hydrosanitary, and phytosanitary standards of the

17 United States dairy industry; and

18 (4) changing the labeling standard for domestic

19 natural cheese would be misleading to the consumer.

20 (b) PROHIBITION.—Section 401 of the Federal Food,

21 Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 341) is amended—

22 (1) by striking ‘‘Whenever’’ and inserting ‘‘(a)

23 Whenever’’; and

24 (2) by adding at the end the following:
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•S 2630 IS

1 ‘‘(b)(1) The Commissioner may not use any Federal

2 funds to amend section 133.3 of title 21, Code of Federal

3 Regulations (or any corresponding similar regulation or

4 ruling), to include dry ultra-filtered milk or casein in the

5 definition of the term ‘milk’ or ‘nonfat milk’, as specified

6 in the standards of identity for cheese and cheese products

7 published at part 133 of title 21, Code of Federal Regula8 tions (or any corresponding similar regulation or ruling).

9 ‘‘(2)(A) The Commissioner may not amend such sec10 tion 133.3 (or any corresponding similar regulation or rul11 ing) to include wet ultra-filtered milk in the definition de12 scribed in paragraph (1), until 60 days after the Commis13 sioner, in conjunction with the Secretary of Agriculture,

14 submits the report described in subparagraph (B).

15 ‘‘(B) The Commissioner, in conjunction with the Sec16 retary of Agriculture shall conduct a study on the manner

17 in which the use of wet ultra-filtered milk impacts dairy

18 farmers, and submit a report containing the results of the

19 study to the appropriate committees of Congress.’’.

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