The Book of Cheese Part 30

Loss___________________________________________________

Average loss_______________lbs. on________________boxes

New York_____________________________19______

______________________ _Weigher_

and the Cheese Rules numbered 6 to 11 inclusive be printed on the back thereof.

Rule 17. Members offering cheese for sale under the Call shall describe each lot, as to number of boxes, color, texture (open or close made), body, flavor, size, and how boxed, section where made, whether whole milks or skims and the average weight of each lot. Cheese sold under the Call to be accepted, or rejected, as a good delivery, or otherwise, based on the description given at the sale.

Rule 18. When cheese are sold under the Call, unless otherwise stated, they shall be ready for immediate s.h.i.+pment.

Rule 19. All cheese offered under the Call, with Inspector's Certificate attached, shall be accompanied by such Certificate and be accepted by the buyer unconditionally, provided the cheese are branded according to Rule 13.

Rule 20. When cheese are offered under the Call, without Inspector's Certificate, should the buyer not consider the cheese a good delivery, according to description by seller, he may notify the seller, and if the seller is unwilling to make another delivery, the buyer may call upon the Inspector to decide whether or not the delivery shall stand. If the Inspector decides it is a good delivery, the buyer shall accept the cheese. If the Inspector decides it is not a good delivery, then the seller shall have twenty-four (24) hours in which to make a good delivery. But if the seller, after twenty-four (24) hours, fails to make a good delivery, then the buyer shall notify the Superintendent of the Exchange, who shall collect a penalty of three per cent of the amount of the transaction, the Exchange retaining twenty-five per cent of this sum, and seventy-five per cent shall be paid to the buyer.

Rule 21. Spot sales under the Call shall be for spot cash unless otherwise agreed.

Rule 22. All failures in meeting contracts shall be reported to the Superintendent of the Exchange, and announced at next regular session of the Exchange.

+330. Marketing perishable varieties.+--Soft cheeses, such as Cream, Neufchatel, Cottage, are usually sold to jobbers or directly to retail stores. They have a very short commercial life, hence cannot be held long before delivery to the consumer. From the jobber, cheese usually goes to the wholesale grocer and then to the retail dealer and finally the consumer. Most jobbers have cold storages so that they can hold cheese without injury to quality. (See Fig. 74.) The kind of cheese marketed in any locality depends on the tastes of the residents. For example, the South usually desires a highly colored product, thinking this color indicates more fat; in the Cheddar group New England demands a soft pasty quick-curing cheese, thinking that softness is a sign of more fat and richness; England wants a rather dry, well-cured, highly flavored cheese. Canadian Cheddar cheese has been standardized as far as possible to appeal to the English market. A long ripening period keeps capital tied up through the further time required for delivery.

This has led to the sale of much of the cheese almost or entirely unripe. So much of the product has reached the consumer without characteristic varietal flavor that large numbers have acquired the habit of purchasing and even preferring cheese only partly ripe.

[Ill.u.s.tration: FIG. 74.--A cheese cold storage room.]

The time during which cheese should be held at the factory depends on the variety. Some are s.h.i.+pped as soon as made, including those cheeses with sour-milk flavor only. Others have to be cured in the factory from six to eight weeks. Cheeses in paper or tin-foil should be neatly wrapped and carefully put in the boxes. The box of cheese should be neat, clean and attractive. Cheeses not wrapped should have a firm rind to hold them in shape. The boxes should be clean and the weight of cheese neatly and plainly marked. In the case of Cheddar cheese, it may be paraffined at the factory, but if not, this is usually done at the cold storage of the jobber. The cheeses usually have some time to cure or ripen while being handled by the various dealers.

+331. Distribution of price.+--The final selling price of cheese is a composite of all the changes that have gone before; or conversely, the farmer, the maker, the carrier and the distributors (wholesale, jobbing and retail dealers) must all be paid from the final price of the product. A study of this problem in Wisconsin has been made by Hibbard, and Hobson.[139] The general facts as determined for Wisconsin have fairly wide application to the manufacture and sale of cheese.

Economic success in handling cheese is dependent on proper provision for the sale of the product. Where the output is small, a personal market can be created and maintained. This eliminates all profits intervening between the maker and the retailer. If the business reaches a volume beyond the possibilities of direct sale to the retailer, some selling organization is necessary. Where the number of producers is great and the selling machinery is well organized, the cheese factory becomes a producer of a commodity which is turned over to existing selling agencies. This condition is well established for Cheddar, Swiss, Brick and Limburger cheese. The soft cheeses other than Limburger have thus far been handled princ.i.p.ally by large companies, each of which has developed an expensive selling organization. A study of the map (Fig.

65) shows how the cheese industry is localized in particular sections of certain states. Individual factories have maintained themselves in widely separated places. This localization is due to the geographical conditions which make certain regions specially adapted to dairying, modified by the proximity to markets for milk as milk. There are many regions, however, well adapted to cheese production in which there is no development of the industry at present. New developments are now taking place in the mountain areas of the South, notably North Carolina and adjacent states, and in several centers of the western mountain states.

Many other areas should develop the making of cheese in some form.

The actual costs of making and selling cheese were found by the Wisconsin investigators to vary approximately as follows: (1) cost of making, 1.2 to 1.75 cents; (2) storage, 1/8 cent a pound a month, or 3/8 to cent for the season; (3) transportation to distant points, $.20 to $2.50 for 100 pounds according to distance; (4) the local dealer, about 1 cent a pound; (5) the wholesale dealer, 2 cents; (6) the jobber or broker who occasionally intervenes, about 1/8 to cent; and the retailer, 5.5 to 9 cents. The entire cost of selling at the time this investigation was made represented about one-half of the retail price of the cheese. The producer of milk received the other half of that price.

+332. Standards.+--Legal standards in the United States are thus far largely based on the specifications of American Cheddar. In so far as they are applied to other products, they operate merely to prevent or reduce the use of skimmed-milk. The a.n.a.lyses and limits proposed in the discussion of varieties or groups in this book represent the range of composition actually known to be a.s.sociated with cheeses of typical quality. Efforts are now being made to establish definitions and standards of composition which will limit the use of cheese names to products conforming to the requirements for such varieties. Practically the only federal requirement thus far enforced in the United States is that 50 per cent of the water-free substance of the cheese must be milk-fat. Various states have local requirements but most of them include the federal rule as to fat. New York and Wisconsin now restrict the amount of water in Cheddar cheese to 40 per cent. Most states have laws regulating the manufacture and sale of skimmed-milk cheese.

+333. Laws relating to cheese marketing.+--A cheese of foreign origin if made in this country must be branded to show that it is not imported.

For example, Camembert made in America is labeled Domestic Camembert.

Some manufacturers call it Camembert type of cheese. The same applies to other varieties of foreign cheese. If a variety is made under a trade-marked name, this prevents any other manufacturer from using that name. For example, a concern may make "Philadelphia" cream cheese; other concerns may make cream cheese, but they must call it by some other name.

The committee on definitions and standards for the a.s.sociation of Official Agricultural Chemists has now undertaken to define the proper use of type names. This is intended to determine the proper limits of composition of cheeses in each variety and such essentials of physical identification as will insure the proper use of these names.

Certain states have laws which relate to the branding of the cheese to denote quality. If the cheese is made from whole milk, a brand may be applied to show this fact. This is usually called the state brand. If made from skimmed-milk, the cheese must be branded to show this. The following[140] ill.u.s.trate the laws relating to the state brand and skimmed-milk cheese:

Sec. 48. Manufacturer's brand of cheese. "Every manufacturer of whole-milk cheese may put a brand or label upon such cheese indicating 'whole-milk cheese' and the date of the month and year when made; and no person shall use such a brand or label upon any cheese made from milk from which any of the cream has been taken. The Commissioner of Agriculture shall procure and issue to the cheese manufacturers of the state, on proper application therefor, and under such regulations as to the custody and use thereof as he may prescribe, a uniform stencil brand or labels bearing a suitable device or motto, and the words 'New York state whole-milk cheese.' Every such brand or label shall be used upon the outside of the cheese and shall bear a different number for each separate factory. The commissioner shall keep a book, in which shall be registered the name, location and number of each manufactory using the brands or labels, and the name or names of the persons at each manufactory authorized to use the same. No such brand or labels shall be used upon any other than whole-milk cheese or packages containing the same. (As amended by chapter 207 of the Laws of 1910.)

Sec. 49. Use of false brand prohibited; branding of skim-milk cheese regulated. No person shall offer, sell or expose for sale, in any package, b.u.t.ter or cheese which is falsely branded or labeled. No person shall sell, offer or expose for sale cheese commonly known as Cheddar cheese made from skimmed or partially skimmed milk unless the same is branded to show that it is skim-milk cheese. All such cheese so sold, offered or exposed for sale shall be branded with the words 'skim-milk cheese,' or if such cheese contains thirteen per centum of milk fat or over, it may be branded 'medium skim-milk cheese,' or if it contains eighteen per centum of milk fat or over, it may be branded 'special skim-milk cheese.' Such branding shall be upon the sides of both the cheese and the container.

The branding herein provided shall be in block letters at least one-half an inch square. (As amended by chapter 456 of the Laws of 1913.)"

Filled cheeses are those from which the milk-fat has been removed and other animal fats subst.i.tuted. The laws of some states prohibit the manufacture of this product. The federal law relating to filled cheese permits its manufacture under license, taxes and government inspection.

The various states have laws regulating the length of time that the cheese may be held in cold storage.

Another important law in some states requires the cheese-maker to have a license. He must pa.s.s an examination to show that the principles and practices of cheese-making are understood.

CHAPTER XXI

_CHEESE IN THE HOUSEHOLD_

Although cheese in some form is familiar to every household, it has been widely regarded in America as an accessory, almost a condimental substance rather than as a staple food worthy of comparison with meat or eggs. Statistics of the annual production, importation and exportation of cheese indicate that the total consumption in the United States is about 300,000,000 pounds--perhaps three pounds per capita. The household manufacture and consumption of cottage cheese would add a small amount to these figures.

Cheese is used as a staple source of food values among many peoples of Europe. Such use of cheese increases rather than decreases with the density of the population. France with a small fraction of the land area and one-half the population of the United States produces and consumes about the same amount of cheese. In America, cheese-making has been developed with the advance of settlement into unoccupied territories only to be dropped as increasing population produced greater demands for milk in other forms. If cheese had been accepted as a regular part of the food supply in such communities, some form of cheese-making would have survived the economic changes.

+334. Food value of cheese.+--A consideration of the nutritive components of cheese shows it to be a rich source of fat, protein or both, according to the variety under examination. It is low in carbohydrates, and aside from salt (sodium chloride) compares favorably with other substances in mineral const.i.tuents. The following discussion with an amplified table is taken from Langworthy and Hunt:[141]

"In order, however, that the question of the use of cheese in the diet may be adequately discussed, knowledge of its composition in comparison with other foods is desirable, and there is an abundance of data available on this subject, since the composition of cheese and other foods has often been investigated at the Department of Agriculture, in experiment station laboratories and in many other places where nutrition problems are studied. An extended summary of a.n.a.lyses of cheese of different sorts is included in an earlier publication of this department.[142]

"Data regarding the composition of cheese and a few other common foods are summarized in the following table.

"It will be seen from the table (Table x.x.x) that cheese has nearly twice as much protein, weight for weight, as beef of average composition as purchased and that its fuel value is more than twice as great. It contains over 25 per cent more protein than the same weight of porterhouse steak as purchased, and nearly twice as much fat.

"As shown by the figures in the following table, cheese contains 3.8 per cent ash. Of this a considerable part may be salt added in cheese-making. Like the milk from which it is made, cheese ash is characterized chiefly by the presence of calcium (lime), magnesium, phosphorus and iron, the average values as given in earlier bulletins of the department[145] being 1.24 per cent calcium oxid, 0.049 per cent magnesium oxid, 1.49 per cent phosphorus pentoxid, and 0.0015 per cent iron."

TABLE x.x.x

AVERAGE COMPOSITION OF CHEESE AND SOME OTHER COMMON FOODS AS PURCHASED, AND ALSO ON THE BASIS OF EDIBLE PORTION

==================================================================== FOOD MATERIALS REFUSE WATER PROTEIN FAT CARBO HYDRATES ----------------------+--------+-------+---------+------+----------+ % % % % % Cheese, American Cheddar[144] -- 34.2 25.2 33.7 2.4 Beef of average composition as purchased 18.6 50.5 15.2 15.5 -- Edible portion -- 62.2 18.8 18.8 -- Porterhouse steak as purchased 12.7 52.4 19.1 17.9 -- Edible portion -- 60.0 21.9 20.4 -- Loin steak, broiled, edible portion -- 54.8 23.5 20.4 -- Dried beef -- 53.7 26.4 6.9 -- Eggs as purchased 11.2 65.5 13.1 9.3 -- Edible portion -- 73.7 13.4 10.5 -- Milk -- 87.0 3.3 4.0 5.0 Bread -- 35.3 9.2 1.3 53.1 Potatoes as purchased 20.0 62.6 1.8 .1 14.7 Edible portion -- 78.3 2.2 .1 18.4 Apples as purchased 25.0 63.6 .3 .3 10.8 Edible portion -- 84.6 .4 .5 14.2 ====================================================================

===================================================== FUEL FUEL VALUE FOOD MATERIALS ASH VALUE COMPARED PER TO POUND CHEESE[143]

----------------------+------+----------+------------ % Calories Cheese, American Cheddar[144] 3.8 1,950 1.00 Beef of average composition as purchased .7 935 0.48 Edible portion .9 1,145 0.58 Porterhouse steak as purchased .8 1,110 0.57 Edible portion 1.0 1,270 0.65 Loin steak, broiled, edible portion 1.2 1,300 0.66 Dried beef 8.9 790 0.45 Eggs as purchased .9 635 0.32 Edible portion 1.0 720 0.37 Milk .7 310 0.16 Bread 1.1 1,215 0.62 Potatoes as purchased .8 295 0.15 Edible portion 1.0 385 0.20 Apples as purchased .3 190 0.10 Edible portion .3 290 0.15 =====================================================

It is clear from the calculations shown in the last column, that Cheddar cheese takes first rank among the foods compared as to fuel value. The estimate of food values in terms of calories may not completely express the value of that food to a particular individual. It is generally conceded that one great function of food is the production of energy and this function is probably more closely determined by the number of calories produced than in any other known way. Such calculation has become an essential factor in the preparation of dietaries. The calculation here given necessarily applies only to Cheddar cheese. By easy use of the last column, the caloric value of this cheese can be compared with that of any competing food and the relative economy determined, whatever the price asked. Another recent calculation with reference[146] to the same cheese follows:

"One pound of American Cheddar cheese contains as much protein as--

1.57 pounds of sirloin steak.

1.35 pounds of round steak.

1.89 pounds of fowl.

1.79 pounds of smoked ham.

1.81 pounds of fresh ham.