Change your habits
When you go shopping, remember that your choices can influence the global food system.
When it comes to cheese, there’s plenty that you can do…
Choose raw milk cheeses
Avoid cheeses made with thermized or pasteurized milk and select those made with raw milk. Raw milk cheeses preserve the nutritional integrity, flavor, and fragrance of the milk, so they taste better. To find them, ask the producer or read the label; it’s obligatory to note the use of raw milk on the ingredients list.
Look for cheeses made without industrial starter cultures
Industrial starter cultures are produced by multinationals. They make it easier to produce a cheese without defects, but they also standardize the taste. The authentic flavor of a cheese only comes through when it’s made with raw milk and without industrial starter cultures! It’s not obligatory to note the use of industrial starter cultures on the label, so you’ll have to find out from the producer.
Prioritize cheeses made with milk from grass-fed animals
Avoid cheeses made with milk from industrial factory farms and choose those from farms that care about their animals’ wellbeing. Farmers who graze their animals and feed them grass and hay are respecting the environment and producing cheeses that are more wholesome and have the fragrances and flavors of the local vegetation.
Look for small-scale producers
Seek out cheeses made on small farms, starting with those in your local area. Visiting the farms is always a good idea, too, as it allows you to see how the animals are raised, what they eat, how the milk is processed, and how the cheeses are aged.
Be curious
How many types of cheese do you eat? Did you know there are over 2,000 different kinds? Diversity comes from different production areas, the cheesemaker’s skill, the breed of the animals, and what those animals eat. Always look for traditional cheeses and choose them instead of the standardized cheeses offered by the industrial food system, at home and when you’re on vacation. Make your shopping less conventional!
Read labels carefully
Labels can provide useful information about the cheese that you’re buying, at the very least telling you if it was made with raw milk.
Buy products with minimal packaging
Stay away from pre-sliced cheeses, ask for a piece cut at the deli counter, and refuse plastic packaging. The environmental pollution caused by garbage, particularly plastic waste, is a global emergency and a direct result of our habits. We need a deep paradigm shift in the food industry, but also in our minds.
Don’t overfill your cart
If you buy fresh cheeses, make sure you only buy what you need for a short period so that you don’t waste food.