Filled cheeses are those from which the milk-fat has been removed and other animal fats substituted. 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 pass 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 constituents. The following discussion with an amplified table is taken from Langworthy and Hunt:[141]