This is also the reason why both manufacturers and retailers prominently display the milk fat content in the cheese they sell. Market Place did tests on one hundred different cheese samples bought at the retail level. Sixty-nine percent of those tested were above the stated milk fat content. Of these 48 were within acceptable limits, but 21 were completely inaccurate with results ranging from double to as much as eight times the stated content.
Consumers have reason to be worried.
To find out, Market Place tested 100 low-fat cheeses from five cities across the country. We tested a wide variety, including cheddar, cottage cheese, mozzarella, havarti, skim, part-skim and we tested Canadian and imported cheeses. They came from large supermarkets and small specialty stores. That s 56 times higher. The National Dairy Council in Ottawa who represent cheese manufacturers said if there was a mistake in labeling, don t blame the manufacturers, it was likely the retailers fault.