|
Definition
(list of HS codes, covered by this card) |
Fresh (unripened or uncured) cheese, including whey cheese; grated or powdered cheese of all kinds; processed cheese; blue-veined cheese and other cheese containing veins produced by Penicillium roqueforti; other cheese, e.g. ripened cheese.
For semi-liquid cheese and curd see specific card for ‘Dairy produce’.
For powdered cheese in bulk see specific card for ‘Foodstuffs, powder’.
|
|
Recommended minimum quantity for each final sample
|
0,5 kg
|
| Applicable standards (ISO and EU Norms) and relevant legislation |
- EN ISO 707 Milk and milk products — Guidance on sampling.
You should also refer to your national legislation and national guidelines regarding sampling.
|
|
| Suggested sampling tool depending on the method used |
- Sampling scoop (L04-01)
- Razor wire
- General tools: knife, ladle, etc.
|
| Containers to be used for the sampling |
- Plastic bags, different designs and sizes (P00)
- Plastic bottles, wide mouth opening, size 500-1 000 ml (P03/P04), preferably not transparent.
- Aluminium foil, cling foil, wax paper
The containers must be made of a material suitable for food.
|
| Safety precautions and risk assessment |
- You should be aware of and follow any health and safety instructions in the local risk assessment and/or safe working practices for the location where the sampling is to take place.
- See Health and Safety for the Sampling of Food Products for detailed advice on hygiene and risks for chilled foods.
- The hygiene of food products must be maintained.
- Ensure you have clean and appropriate PPE for the circumstances.
|
|
| Type of consignment |
Procedure |
| Consignment for customs clearance |
The aggregate sample consists of an appropriate number of incremental samples. One sample is usually taken as representing the goods covered by the same customs declaration.
|
| Consignments for CAP (export refunds) |
The final sample consists of an appropriate number of incremental samples or a sufficiently big portion of a bulk block. The sampling strategies depending on packages sizes are described below.
|
Cartons with one or more cheeses. Goods in retail packages
|
Sufficient entire cheeses in their original packaging should be sent to the laboratory to add up to the desired sample quantity. Samples are taken by random selection or systematically.
|
| Cheese in bulk blocks ≤2 kg |
It is recommended that you send a whole block to the laboratory. If that is not possible, cut segments or slices of adequate size.
|
| Cheese in bulk blocks >2 kg and ≤10 kg |
If possible take a whole block to form sample and reserve sample. Otherwise cut off a sample as shown in the next section.
|
| Cheese in bulk blocks >10 kg |
Samples are cross-cut with a knife or a razor wire.
- block-shaped cheese, 3 - 10 kg:
- block-shaped cheese, 10 - 20 kg:
|
| Cheese in frozen bulk blocks |
It is not possible to take samples from a frozen block of cheese. Send a whole block to the laboratory or allow blocks to thaw slowly to a temperature where it can be cut with a knife in a condition environment with a temperature of typically 5 to 10 °C.
|
| Cheese in brine or oil etc. |
One complete package should be sent as a sample to the laboratory or an aggregate sample should be created. Take incremental samples of cheese from the drums, barrels or jars to form the aggregate sample. The final samples must include sufficient brine or oil to submerge the sample of cheese.
|
|
| General comments |
- It is always preferable to take complete packages of cheese as samples. If it is not realistic to take whole packages, use an appropriate tool to cut off whole pieces as described above.
- Drilling cores from cheese blocks is not a sampling method recommended for customs purposes.
- When the consignment is composed of several types of cheese, each type of cheese within the consignment must be treated as a separate commodity and must be sampled separately.
|
| Sampling form |
- Fill in the sampling form. One copy should be attached to the samples and one copy should be kept for the record.
|
| Transport |
- Protect the samples against light and air contact.
- Protect the samples from sources of contamination (odour, liquids, other substances, microbiological growth, etc.).
- Keep cooled or refrigerated during transportation. The temperature of the cooling chain should be recorded.
- The samples should not be re-frozen.
- Frozen products should preferably be transported in a freezer. Alternatively, they can be transported in a refrigerator. Take care that the samples do not thaw during transport. The cooling chain must be maintained and should be recorded.
|
| Storage |
- Protect the samples against light and air contact.
- Protect the samples from sources of contamination (odour, liquids, other substances, microbiological growth, etc.).
- The samples shall be stored at a cool temperature, preferably at 0 to 4 °C; see EN ISO 707 for details. The cooling chain must be maintained and should be monitored and recorded.
- Freeze for long-term storage.
- Frozen products must be stored in a freezer. The cooling chain must be maintained and should be recorded.
|
