What Is Raw Cheese?

Whether you like it paired with your favorite wine or it’s a must-have on your turkey sandwich, cheese adds a unique quality and delicious flavor to many foods. This is where raw milk cheese comes in — with its complex, rich taste.

But wait, isn’t that illegal? Well, yes and no. There’s more to raw cheese than you might think.

How Is Raw Cheese Different from Regular Cheese?

Normally, “regular” cheese, whether it’s made by local artisan cheesemakers or large companies, is pasteurized. This means that cheesemakers must heat the milk in the cheese and then cool it rapidly to deactivate potentially harmful bacteria. The Food and Drug Administration requires most cheeses to be pasteurized before being sold in the United States. However, this isn’t the case for all cheeses, including Organic Valley® raw cheeses.

How Raw Cheese Is Made

Raw cheese is made with unpasteurized milk. The Department of Agriculture requires that any cheese made from unpasteurized milk must be aged a minimum 60 days before it can be marketed for sale. When cheesemakers age raw milk cheeses for at least 60 days, natural cultures and lactic acid reduce undesirable bacteria to an acceptable level. This makes the raw cheese safe to eat. It’s also verified with microbial lab testing and cleared before it’s deemed OK to sell.

What Are Examples of Raw Cheese?

While there are several cheeses sold that are specifically marketed as “raw cheese,” there are others that you probably didn’t realize are also technically raw cheeses. Some of these are variations of international cheeses that are processed differently so they can be sold in the United States. For example, a “real” Camembert cheese from France made with straight-up raw milk has much richer flavors than the commonly pasteurized version made in the United States. But there are still several cheeses that are technically raw cheese that you can buy here, and the U.S. can import and sell raw cheeses made abroad as long as they are at least 60 days old upon receipt at the border.

These cheeses include (but are not limited to):

• Gruyère
• Parmigiano-Reggiano
• English Cheddar
• Camembert
• Roquefort
• Morbier
• Raclette
• Fontina
• Asiago
• Pecorino
• Manchego

Why Is Raw Milk Illegal in the US?

Raw milk may have a lot of flavor, but it can also carry bacteria that can make you sick. According to the FDA, raw milk can contain bacteria such as E. coli, salmonella, listeria and campylobacter. These and other bacteria sometimes found in raw milk can cause food poisoning if consumed. This can be especially dangerous for people with compromised immune systems. Cheese made from raw milk has lots of great flavor and is still legal to sell in the United States as long as it has been aged for the proper amount of time.

Can You Buy Raw Cheese in the US?

Yes, you can! According to the USDA, while it’s illegal to sell raw milk across state lines, each state has its own rules regarding sales within that state. Cheese made from raw milk, on the other hand, is legal to sell across the United States as long as it is at least 60 days old.

Is Raw Cheese Vegetarian Friendly?

Organic Valley® cheeses are vegetarian friendly. Enzymes are a crucial part of the cheese-making process, but cheesemakers usually use one that comes from animals, called rennet. At Organic Valley, we use vegetarian microbial enzymes in all of our cheeses, including our organic raw cheeses. Vegetarian microbial enzymes are produced by a controlled fermentation process. By using these instead of rennet or other animal-derived enzymes, we can make our cheese vegetarian friendly.

Organic Valley Raw Cheeses

As dedicated dairy purveyors, we offer a variety of cheeses, including our signature raw cheeses. At Organic Valley, our award-winning raw semi-soft and cheddar cheeses are crafted with care by our skilled cheesemakers using milk from our pasture-raised cows.

Devin Thorson, Organic Valley product development manager and resident cheese expert, highlighted the unique qualities of Organic Valley’s raw cheeses that set them apart from the competition.

“Our raw cheeses are not only made with fresh milk from organic, pasture-raised cows but also with a unique culture system that creates their award-winning taste and texture,” Thorson said.

Organic Valley’s raw cheeses have won the following awards:

Raw Sharp Cheddar®

• Gold: Los Angeles International Dairy Competition - 2024
• Bronze: World Cheese Awards - 2015
• Silver: Los Angeles International Dairy Competition - 2015
• Bronze: Los Angeles International Dairy Competition - 2013

Raw Sharp Cheddar Slices®

• People Magazine Food Award - 2023

Grassmilk® Raw Cheddar®

• Silver: Los Angeles International Dairy Competition - 2017
• Gold: Los Angeles International Dairy Competition - 2015

Grassmilk® Raw Sharp Cheddar®

• Silver: Los Angeles International Dairy Competition - 2017
• Gold: Los Angeles International Dairy Competition - 2015

When you buy Organic Valley® raw cheeses, you’ll know you’re getting a high-quality product with lots of flavor. Not only that, but they come from small organic family farms with pasture-raised cows. You can be sure that when you buy from us, you’ll get a product that will make you feel good about eating it and will make a difference for small family farmers far and wide.