Cheap Cheese on Bulgarian Market Is Full of Water, Study Finds
NW 18:38:01 21-08-2020
DS1836NW.118
118 ECONOMY - CHEESE - ACTIVE CONSUMERS - STUDY
Cheap Cheese on
Bulgarian Market Is Full of Water,
Study Finds
Sofia, August 21 (BTA) - A study of the Active Consumers association shows that cheap white brined cheese (at a price of up to 10 leva per kg) on the Bulgarian market is full of water. Out of 30 analysed products, sixteen brands of cheese were found to contain over 70 per cent water, ten brands contained between 62 and 70 per cent water, and only four brands met the norm of up to 62 per cent water.
The association recalls that according to the Bulgarian State Standard (BSS), white brined cheese should contain no more than 54 per cent water. When a product does not carry the BSS logo, some deviations in the production process are allowed, which is why the study allowed for an 8 per cent deviation, thus considering up to 62 per cent water in cheese as acceptable. Anything above this percentage means that chemicals and enzymes have been used in the production process - practices that are not allowed in cheese production. A product containing over 70 per cent water cannot be called and sold with the label cheese, the association argues.
Active Consumers warns that an increased water content in cheese is dangerous for the following reasons: it activates chemical processes in dairy products that result in harmful and sometimes toxic and cancerogenic chemical compounds; it affects the balance between bacteria in dairy products and allows the growth of microorganisms not typical for cheese, some of which might be dangerous to consumers' health; it means that the producer might have used chemicals and enzymes that may be allowed in other foods but might not be applicable in cheese production.
The association recalls that its study on cheese quality on the Bulgarian market has been done for more than 15 years. In 2005, none of the analysed brands of cheese contained over 62 per cent water, but in the following years the share of such cheeses grew considerably, reaching 4.8 per cent in 2008, 42 per cent in 2011, and 27.8 per cent in 2016.
A table with the brands of cheese analysed in the study, their prices per kilogram and their water content is available on aktivnipotrebiteli.bg
NV/DS
/ДЛ/
DS1836NW.118
118 ECONOMY - CHEESE - ACTIVE CONSUMERS - STUDY
Cheap Cheese on
Bulgarian Market Is Full of Water,
Study Finds
Sofia, August 21 (BTA) - A study of the Active Consumers association shows that cheap white brined cheese (at a price of up to 10 leva per kg) on the Bulgarian market is full of water. Out of 30 analysed products, sixteen brands of cheese were found to contain over 70 per cent water, ten brands contained between 62 and 70 per cent water, and only four brands met the norm of up to 62 per cent water.
The association recalls that according to the Bulgarian State Standard (BSS), white brined cheese should contain no more than 54 per cent water. When a product does not carry the BSS logo, some deviations in the production process are allowed, which is why the study allowed for an 8 per cent deviation, thus considering up to 62 per cent water in cheese as acceptable. Anything above this percentage means that chemicals and enzymes have been used in the production process - practices that are not allowed in cheese production. A product containing over 70 per cent water cannot be called and sold with the label cheese, the association argues.
Active Consumers warns that an increased water content in cheese is dangerous for the following reasons: it activates chemical processes in dairy products that result in harmful and sometimes toxic and cancerogenic chemical compounds; it affects the balance between bacteria in dairy products and allows the growth of microorganisms not typical for cheese, some of which might be dangerous to consumers' health; it means that the producer might have used chemicals and enzymes that may be allowed in other foods but might not be applicable in cheese production.
The association recalls that its study on cheese quality on the Bulgarian market has been done for more than 15 years. In 2005, none of the analysed brands of cheese contained over 62 per cent water, but in the following years the share of such cheeses grew considerably, reaching 4.8 per cent in 2008, 42 per cent in 2011, and 27.8 per cent in 2016.
A table with the brands of cheese analysed in the study, their prices per kilogram and their water content is available on aktivnipotrebiteli.bg
NV/DS
/ДЛ/
EUR 1.9558
USD 1.724
CHF 1.8657