Food labelling for milk products

[Karina12345]

This is probably an old topic and most are aware of the regulations but I found the guidance around labelling of milk products somewhat unclear so have been digging into this a bit and still have questions.

You may noticed that the ingredients list of milk-containing products will be variably labelled "Milk (cow's milk)", "Milk (pasteurised cow's milk)" and "Milk (unpasteurised/raw cow's milk)" among others.

The NHS website states that beyond the restrictions for mould-ripened soft cheeses, to only consume pasteurised cheeses or milk products (or if unpasteurised heat thoroughly until steaming/boil) www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/foods-to-avoid-pregnant/

So are milk products labelled with "Milk (cow's milk)", neither specifically stating unpasteurised nor pasteurised, safe for pregnant women?

The food standards agency's page www.food.gov.uk/safety-hygiene/raw-drinking-milk states that raw drinking milk needs to be labelled clearly. But it doesn't explicitly state that raw drinking milk-containing products also have to be labelled. Though common sense may suggest they would, to help relieve my paranoia, I'd like it to be explicit.

The food standards agency helpline wrote back to me stating

"Regulation (EC) 853/2004 (see link below; page 68) which lays down hygiene rules on foods of animal origin, requires that products made with raw milk must be clearly labelled with the words ‘made with raw milk’. Therefore if labelling does not indicate that the product is made with raw milk then it would be correct to assume it is made from pasteurised milk. " eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:02004R0853-20141117&from=EN.

So unless specifically stating "raw milk", it should be pasteurised right? At least according to the advice in the email.

However, on closer inspection of the regs DH noticed that physical or chemical treatment is sufficient for products to not be labelled "raw milk"

Does anyone know if this type of treatment render the milk products safe for pregnant women?

OP I suspect you are overthinking.

It is illegal for shops and supermarkets to sell raw milk, that would extend to any product containing raw milk.

Unless you are buying at a farm gate, or a farmers market, or direct from a raw milk supplier, you are unlikely to be exposing yourself to raw milk, or a raw milk product.

However, on closer inspection of the regs DH noticed that physical or chemical treatment is sufficient for products to not be labelled "raw milk"

Well obviously, any treatment of raw milk, whether heat treated, or chemical, renders the milk "pasteurised".

Why are either of you so closely inspecting the regulations trying to trip up the food standards agency?

If it's raw/unpasteurised it's labelled as such clearly. If it's not labelled as raw/unpasteurised then it's safe to consume, it's not worth the risk to the producer of the products to be using raw milk and not making it clear.

@majesticallyawkward I'm not trying to trip up the food standards agency, but didn't know the regulations on milk labelling and I found the website for consumers a little bit unclear. I actually think it's quite unclear if something is labelled "cow's milk" whether that is safe or not. Can you point me to a reliable reference that states that all raw milk containing products need to be labelled (not just raw drinking milk)?

@Baaaahhhhh Thanks, yes I probably am over thinking but still haven't found a site that states it explicitly (without having to go to original regs) that raw milk-containing products have to be labelled and regs are different in different countries. Do you have one you could recommend?
Pasteurisation specifically refers to heat treatment not chemical treatment so no chemical treatment is not the same as pasteurised.

This article might help
www.bbc.co.uk/food/articles/raw_milk#:~:text=In%20England%2C%20Wales%20and%20Northern%20Ireland%2C%20raw%20dairy%20milk%20can,labelled%20with%20a%20health%20warning.
Key paragraph
"In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, raw dairy milk can only be sold by registered producers directly to customers, such as at the farm via bottles or a vending machine, at farmers’ markets or a farmer’ milk round, or direct online sales. It must be labelled with a health warning."

👆👆

It's pretty easy info to find. Honestly there is very little you should avoid eating and drinking in pregnancy.

The list of foods to avoid is short and in general eg wash your own salad very obvious. Try not to make life more difficult than it needs to be or you will find motherhood terribly stressful.

@Superscientist yes raw milk products is sold by online retailers like Ocado and Sainsbury’s but can you assume that if milk in a cheese is not labelled as pasteurised then it is safe to eat? Tbh this is largely DH who is driving this since I was more willing to accept that labelling for raw drinking milk would extend to any products containing it, but he felt it was unwise to assume.

However, on closer inspection of the regs DH (darling husband) noticed that physical or chemical treatment is sufficient for products to not be labelled "raw milk"

I would presume ‘physical treatment’ includes cooking - which is essentially pasteurising, so then it doesn’t matter that the milk was originally raw. Raw milk is a pretty niche ingredient - if it’s being used I think it will be bragged about on the packaging somewhere. I doubt it’s used in many products at all except cheeses.

All cheese is pasteurised unless otherwise specified such as parmesan which is still safe to eat as it is a hard cheese.

Hi all,

Thanks for your comments. I heard back from the General Food Hygiene policy team at Food Standards Agency. @Superscientist unfortunately it's not true that all cheese is pasteurized. Posting this to help others in my situation who wanted to know specifics about different standards of milk treatment.

Summary:

• All raw milk products will be labelled 'raw milk' by law.

-Not all milk products without 'raw milk' labelling are pasteurized, some may be chemically treated not nec to equivalent standard as pasteurisation

• In pregnancy advice is to consume milk products stating 'made with pasteurized milk'

Their email response to me:
"If the product is not labelled with the mention “made with raw milk”, this doesn’t systematically mean that the milk has been treated to a level equivalent to pasteurisation, and therefore it might not be microbiologically safe to consume during pregnancy.
It is recommended to consume cheeses whose labelling indicates the mention “made with pasteurised milk” during pregnancy. Certain cheeses, such as soft and/or mould ripened cheese, should be avoided during pregnancy regardless of which milk is used, due to risk of Listeria monocytogenes".
Hope this helps

I am glad that you have clarity on the matter, OP.

If your husband is of a very anxious nature, however, I gently suggest that now might be a good time to seek some help with that. Evidence-based judgements are important but you can’t go through this process for every risk that you will encounter in pregnancy and early parenthood.

Thanks for the suggestion @Zhampagne, it is starting to get very frustrating (he doesn't want me to eat thoroughly cooked pizza which according to nhs website should be perfectly safe even if the mozzarella is not pasteurized). Can you get help with it through nhs?

I should just add that the NHS link for more info is here and on cheeses you can eat when thoroughly cooked (until steaming hot)
www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/foods-to-avoid-pregnant/

Oh goodness I think your DH needs to calm down. Not eating a pizza is mad. He needs to get this under control as you will encounter so many more worrying situations in parenthood and he needs to be level headed. Where is his anxiety coming from?

Things my husband has ‘let’ me eat during this pregnancy:
-Haggis
-Medium rare steak
-A variety of cheeses
-Salami
-Serrano ham
-Steak and kidney pie

Your body, your rules and your husband needs to trust you to make your own risk assessments.

Wow, parenting is going to be a jolly ride for you both!

Access to support varies across the country and is disrupted at the moment but talking to his GP would be a good first step. You could also mention it to your midwife.

You need to talk to him too, however. His behaviour is controlling. Right now you are the one who is taking all of the risks in carrying and birthing your child. You are clearly highly intelligent and well-informed, and he needs to trust your judgement. You get the casting vote on absolutely anything that directly affects your body - and you need to discuss this now because there will be decisions to be made about your care in labour and he must be willing to support and advocate for you.

Good luck

it is starting to get very frustrating (he doesn't want me to eat thoroughly cooked pizza which according to nhs website should be perfectly safe even if the mozzarella is not pasteurized)

This is a bit of a red flag, OP. You are his equal partner and a human being with your own judgement, not a vessel to incubate his baby.

@PlumsInTheIcebox

it is starting to get very frustrating (he doesn't want me to eat thoroughly cooked pizza which according to nhs website should be perfectly safe even if the mozzarella is not pasteurized)

This is a bit of a red flag, OP. You are his equal partner and a human being with your own judgement, not a vessel to incubate his baby.

Exactly! He needs to calm down, and if this requires medical intervention then he needs to speak to someone urgently!