CHEESE GRADING, PACKAGING AND LABELING
Subchapter I —Definitions and General Provisions
ATCP 81.02 Cheese grader license.
Subchapter II —Grading and Marking Requirements; General
ATCP 81.20 Wisconsin cheese; manufacturer's label.
ATCP 81.21 Labeling cheese from other states or foreign countries.
ATCP 81.215 Age labeling of cheese.
ATCP 81.22 Cheese grades and grade labels.
ATCP 81.23 Cheese grading.
ATCP 81.24 Cheese grade labeling of retail packages.
ATCP 81.25 Recordkeeping.
Subchapter III —Cheese Styles, Boxes and Hoops
ATCP 81.30 Cheese styles.
ATCP 81.31 Cheese container requirements.
Subchapter IV — Cheddar, Granular and Washed Curd Cheese; Grade Standards
ATCP 81.40 Wisconsin certified premium grade AA standards.
ATCP 81.41 Wisconsin grade A or Wisconsin state brand standards.
ATCP 81.42 Wisconsin grade B standards.
Subchapter V —Colby and Monterey (Jack) Cheese; Grade Standards
ATCP 81.50 Wisconsin certified premium grade AA standards.
ATCP 81.51 Wisconsin grade A or Wisconsin state brand standards.
ATCP 81.52 Wisconsin grade B standards.
Subchapter VI — Brick and Muenster Cheese; Grade Standards
ATCP 81.60 Wisconsin certified premium grade AA standards.
ATCP 81.61 Wisconsin grade A or Wisconsin state brand standards.
ATCP 81.62 Wisconsin grade B standards.
Subchapter VII —Swiss or Emmentaler Cheese; Grade Standards
ATCP 81.70 Wisconsin grade A or Wisconsin state brand standards.
ATCP 81.71 Wisconsin grade B standards.
ATCP 81.72 Wisconsin grade C standards.
ATCP 81.73 Wisconsin grade D standards.
Subchapter VIII — Wisconsin Cheese Logotype
ATCP 81.80 Official logotype design and use.
ATCP 81.82 Official logotype use.
Subchapter IX - Baby Swiss Cheese; Standard of Identity and Labeling
ATCP 81.91 Baby Swiss cheese; product description and preparation.
ATCP 81.93 Nomenclature and label declaration.
Ch. ATCP 81 Note
Note: Chapter Ag 81 as it existed on June 30, 1978 was repealed and a new chapter Ag 81 was created effective July 1, 1978. Chapters Ag 81 to 84 as they existed on April, 30, 1993 were repealed and a new chapter ATCP 81 was created effective May 1, 1993.
ATCP 81.01
ATCP 81.01 Definitions. As used in this chapter:
ATCP 81.01(2)
(2) “Body and texture characteristics" for purposes of grading cheese under this chapter include the following traits:
ATCP 81.01(2)(a)
(a) “Broken down" means the condition of the cheese has changed from a firm, smooth or coarse, curdy or rubbery condition to a waxy condition similar to that of cold butter, or to a mealy or pasty condition.
ATCP 81.01(2)(b)
(b) “Coarse" means a cheese is rough, dry and sandy to the touch.
ATCP 81.01(2)(c)
(c) “Corky" means a cheese texture that is hard, tough and overly firm and is characterized by failure of the cheese to readily break down when rubbed between the thumb and fingers.
ATCP 81.01(2)(d)
(d) “Crumbly" means that cheese is loosely knit and tends to fall apart when rubbed between the thumb and fingers.
ATCP 81.01(2)(e)
(e) “Curdy" means a cheese is smooth but firm, and when worked between the fingers, is rubbery and not waxy.
ATCP 81.01(2)(f)
(f) “Firm" means the body of the cheese feels solid and is not soft or weak.
ATCP 81.01(2)(g)
(g) “Gassy" means that cheese contains gas holes of various sizes which may be scattered or unevenly distributed throughout the cheese.
ATCP 81.01(2)(h)
(h) “Mealy" means cheese has a short body texture, does not mold well, and looks and feels like corn meal when rubbed between the thumb and fingers.
ATCP 81.01(2)(i)
(i) “Open" means that irregularly shaped mechanical openings, caused by workmanship and not gas fermentation, are present.
ATCP 81.01(2)(j)
(j) “Pasty" means that cheese has a weak body, and that it becomes sticky and smeary when rubbed between the thumb and fingers.
ATCP 81.01(2)(k)
(k) “Pinny" means the presence of numerous and very small gas holes in a cheese.
ATCP 81.01(2)(L)
(L) “Reasonably firm" means the body of the cheese is somewhat less than firm, but not to the extent of materially injuring the keeping quality of the cheese.
ATCP 81.01(2)(m)
(m) “Short" means that there is no elasticity to the cheese plug removed by means of a grading trier, and that the plug tends toward mealiness when rubbed between the thumb and fingers.
ATCP 81.01(2)(n)
(n) “Slitty" means that cheese contains narrow, elongated slits which are generally associated with a cheese that is“gassy" or “yeasty". Slits in cheese having this characteristic may sometimes be referred to as “fish eyes".
ATCP 81.01(2)(o)
(o) “Smooth" means the surface of the cheese feels silky, and is not dry, coarse or rough.
ATCP 81.01(2)(p)
(p) “Solid, compact and close" means the texture of the cheese has practically no openings of any kind.
ATCP 81.01(2)(q)
(q) “Sweet holes" means that small spherical gas holes, approximately the size of BB shots, are present. Sweet holes may also be referred to as “shot" or “Swiss holes".
ATCP 81.01(2)(r)
(r) “Translucent" means a cheese has the appearance of being partially transparent.
ATCP 81.01(2)(s)
(s) “Waxy" means that a cheese, when worked between the fingers, molds well like wax or cold butter.
ATCP 81.01(2)(t)
(t) “Weak" means a cheese requires little pressure to crush and is soft but not necessarily sticky like a pasty cheese.
ATCP 81.01(3)
(3) “Cheese" means a dairy product prepared from the pressed curd of milk and includes the following varieties with or without rind formation:
ATCP 81.01(4)
(4) “Cheese box" means any wood, fiber, corrugated metal, plastic, fiberglass, or veneer container used as a receptacle for cheese.
ATCP 81.01(5)
(5) “Cheese hoop" means a form used to mold any of the various styles of cheese described under
s. ATCP 81.30.
ATCP 81.01(6)
(6) “Cheese style" means the shape, size and weight of a manufactured unit of cheese which conforms to the standards for the particular style under
s. ATCP 81.30.
ATCP 81.01(7)
(7) “Code number 55" means the code number, established as part of the uniform national coding system under P. L.
89-306, which indicates that a particular lot of cheese was manufactured at a dairy plant in Wisconsin.
ATCP 81.01 Note
Note: The numerical national uniform coding system was developed under P. L. 89-306 and is recommended for use by the Ninth National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments.
ATCP 81.01(8)
(8) “Color characteristics" for purposes of grading cheese under this chapter include the following traits:
ATCP 81.01(8)(a)
(a) “Acid-cut" means a bleached or faded appearance which sometimes varies throughout the cheese but is present most often around mechanical openings.
ATCP 81.01(8)(b)
(b) “Bleached surface" means that a faded color begins at the surface of the cheese and progresses inward.
ATCP 81.01(8)(c)
(c) “Dull or faded" means that the color of the cheese lacks lustre or translucency.
ATCP 81.01(8)(d)
(d) “ Mottled" means the presence of irregular shaped spots or blotches in which portions of the cheese are light colored and others are darker in color, or an unevenness of color due to mixing or combining the curd from 2 different vats.
ATCP 81.01(8)(e)
(e) “Salt spots" means the presence of large light-colored spots or areas.
ATCP 81.01(8)(f)
(f) “Seamy" means the presence of white thread-like lines that form if the pieces of curd are not properly joined together.
ATCP 81.01(8)(g)
(g) “Tiny white specks" means that specks resembling grains of salt, and generally associated with aged cheese, are scattered throughout the cheese.
ATCP 81.01(8)(h)
(h) “Unattractive" means an abnormal or unappetizing appearance.
