FDA to work with cheese-makers on wooden board sanitation

(REUTERS/Brian Snyder/Files)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says cheese producers won't necessarily lose the wooden boards they use to age their cheese.

That follows a flurry of protests by officials from Wisconsin and elsewhere.

The Wisconsin State Journal reports the FDA issued a statement Wednesday saying the agency is going to work with artisan cheese producers to determine whether certain types of cheese can be aged safely on wooden shelving. The aging process gives cheeses their unique flavor and appeal.

Earlier, the FDA had said the boards are unsanitary.

The FDA's statement was issued in response to a letter written by Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection secretary Ben Brancel. A department spokesman says Brancel had urged FDA officials to take a second look at its policy.