CURD Act

S 184, the CURD Act, defines "natural cheese" in federal food labeling regulations to clarify what products can legally use that term. It directly affects cheese manufacturers who label products as "natural cheese" and consumers who rely on that labeling for purchasing decisions. The bill adds a specific definition to the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, requiring that "natural cheese" must be made by coagulating milk proteins without the addition of certain processed cheese ingredients listed in the definition. Products like pasteurized process cheese, cheese spreads, and cold pack cheeses are explicitly excluded from the "natural cheese" category under this new standard.