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