On November 17, ACS released two position statements developed by the Board of Directors in response to recent industry events and media coverage. The position statements are available on the ACS homepage, or they may be downloaded below:

• ACS Statement on Safe Cheesemaking 

• ACS Statement on the Importance of Artisan, Farmstead, and Specialty Cheese
   

On November 20, ACS staff introduced 1,000 wine aficionados to more than 30 different American cheeses at the National Wine Experience in Washington, D.C. Thanks to all of the producers who participated in this first annual event! 

A tremendous thank you is also owed to the staff at DPI's facility in Upper Marlboro, MD for accepting cheese shipments for the event, as well as to Cowgirl Creamery for allowing ACS staff to prep cheeses in their Washington, D.C. shop!

 
Photos of the event can be seen on the ACS Facebook page. 

$860K Donated to OSU for Dairy Center: Statesman Journal, December 2

Results of World Cheese Awards 2010: Talking Retail, November 30

Whole Foods Recalls 7 Varieties of Cheddar Cheese: New York Daily News, November 29

Cheesemaker Defies FDA Over Recall: The New York Times, November 19

Raw-milk cheese faces new scrutiny:The Fresno Bee, November 13

Katie Couric's Notebook - Cheese: CBS News, November 9

How can the USDA simultaneously be pro-cheese and anti-fat?: TIME.com, November 8

Murray's Cheese and Kroger: How's That For a Cheese Pairing?: Houston Press, November 8

While warning about fat, U.S. pushes cheese sales: The New York Times, November 6

Raw-milk cheese in the Northwest, elsewhere on the FDA radar: The Oregonian, November 6

Moving the cheese from starter plate to dessert tray: National Public Radio, November 3

As another year draws to a close, I find myself reflecting on the achievements of 2010: a successful transition to self-management (the association is now under the direction of a passionate, dedicated, and talented staff) and a conference chock full of informative, dynamic and provocative sessions.

I also look forward to all that lies ahead: our first international conference in Montr�al, a new website, and the launch of American Cheese Week! Yet, with all the good things on the horizon, there is also some uncertainty. 

These past few months have been challenging for many in our community.  We are reminded of the need to constantly re-evaluate food safety procedures at all stages of the production and distribution chain, even as we acknowledge and celebrate the idea that great cheese is made safely by farmstead, artisan and specialty cheesemakers each and every day. I wholeheartedly believe that the world is a better and richer place because of the incredible diversity of cheese being produced by our talented members!

The ACS board and staff have been hard at work wrestling with the myriad of fronts on which we can make a difference. Our efforts include:

• Updating valuable resources available to members online.
• Conducting a survey of current inspection trends amongst cheesemakers. (Read the results)
• Developing new educational offerings on food safety.
• Publishing official ACS Position Statements in support of our members.

Certainly, our industry is in unprecedented territory at this moment in time. Responding proactively to real concerns about the health and safety of our products is absolutely critical. Equally important is the preservation and safe implementation of centuries' old techniques which result in the distinctive and unique cheeses that we find so compelling. 

While we cannot always choose what will be featured in the 24-hour news cycle, we can unite behind the positive stories of ACS members promoting and supporting American cheese all over North America. This is the main idea behind "American Cheese Week," which will begin taking shape early in the new year. I hope you will join with me in considering how you will participate in this week-long celebration in 2011. It is meant to highlight the best of the cheese community which we all hold dear.

Wishing you happy holidays filled with love and joy, and all the best in 2011.

Best,

Christine Hyatt

ACS President

ACS members are familiar with books on cheese. But if you're familiar with the world of business books, you've probably found the offerings to be pretty filled with cheese as well. "Life balance" is big business: business gurus, authors, and motivational speakers are all out to help you juggle your work, family, and personal lives. But maybe their message is off-base - maybe happiness and satisfaction can only be found by eschewing balance, figuring out what you're good at and love to do, and doing it with great abandon.

The 1991 book Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi offers a different approach to identifying and focusing on the things you love to do. To be in a "flow state" is to be engaged in self-controlled, goal-related, meaningful actions - often at the exclusion of other actions deemed to give "balance." Similarly, the idea of excluding some things in order to maximize others is the theme of Now, Discover your Strengths and the subsequent StrengthFinders 2.0. Based on Gallup research on millions of people, the StrengthsFinder online evaluation helps you identify your top five natural "strengths." The premise is that you can be great in areas where you have natural strengths, but you'll never be the best at things that don't come naturally.

While quite different, the two books make a great end-of-year reading pair...discover your strengths and focus on them to achieve a state of flow. The result - greater satisfaction and success in all you do.

Sincerely,

Nora Weiser

Executive Director

• Cheesemaker inspections increased dramatically this year: Less than 10% of respondents were inspected in any year between 2003 and 2009. In contrast, three-quarters were inspected at some point in 2010. 

• Inspections begin early, and are most often unannounced: More than 80% of inspections reported by respondents were unannounced, and the majority took place between 8:00 AM and 12:00 PM. 

• Listeria is a major focus for inspectors: the most common test respondents say was performed during inspections was for Listeria. Tests for Salmonella, Campylobacter, E. coli, Streptococcus, Staph. aureus, and Staph. enteroterin were reported far less frequently.

• No space escapes scrutiny: Beyond the obvious inspection spaces such as make rooms and aging rooms, respondents note that inspectors are examining intake and receiving areas, storage areas, brine rooms, milking rooms, barns, kitchens, bathrooms, packaging areas, and retail spaces.

• Over half of respondents have HACCP plans in place: Over half of cheesemakers who responded to the survey follow a HACCP plan. A similar percentage of respondents aware that ACS offers sample HACCP templates for its members. However, this means that half of respondents still need to create a plan for their facility, and didn't know that ACS offered tools to help them. 

• Local inspectors and mock audits are a producer's ally: Several respondents commented that building a strong and trusting relationship with their local inspector has allowed them to stay prepared for FDA inspections. Third-party audits and "mock recalls" have also proven invaluable for respondents in advance of FDA inspections.

• ACS cheesemakers range widely in scale: Annual production reported by survey respondents ranged tremendously, from 50 to 150,000,000 lbs of cheese per year; the median annual production quantity among respondents was 20,000 lbs.
   

In the November issue of CheeseBytes, San Francisco Chronicle columnist Janet Fletcher interviewed CheezSorce's Neville McNaughton about brining cheese. Which topics would you like Janet to explore in future issues of CheeseBytes? Whether you're a cheesemaker with technical questions, or an enthusiast looking to expand your cheese knowledge, send us your questions and we'll seek out the experts to answer them. We'd love to hear from you!