(1) A person that manufactures or processes cheese shall pasteurize milk to be used for making cheese or cheese culture by subjecting every particle of the milk to a minimum temperature of 161°F (72°C) for not less than 15 seconds or to other pasteurization temperature and time standards listed in section 137, except as provided for in section 138. A person that manufactures or processes cheese shall equip high temperature short-time pasteurization units with the proper controls and equipment to assure pasteurization. Milk held more than 2 hours between time of receipt or pasteurization and culturing shall be cooled to 45°F (7°C) or lower, until the time of culturing.
  (2) A person that manufactures or processes cheese and engages in vat pasteurization shall use only equipment meeting the requirements of sanitary standards.

Terms Used In Michigan Laws 288.731

  • Cheese: means natural cheeses, processed cheeses, blended cheeses, cheese foods, cheese spreads, nonstandard cheese products, and related foods described in 21 C. See Michigan Laws 288.571
  • Milk: means the lacteal secretion, practically free from colostrum, obtained by the complete milking of 1 or more healthy cows, goats, sheep, or other dairy animals. See Michigan Laws 288.574
  • Person: means an individual, partnership, company, limited liability company, cooperative, association, firm, trustee, educational institution, state or local government unit, or corporation. See Michigan Laws 288.576
  • Sanitary standards: means the dairy equipment construction standards or accepted dairy system operating practices formulated by 1 of the following:
  (i) 3-A sanitary standards committees representing the international association for food protection, the United States public health service, the United States department of agriculture, and the dairy industry committee. See Michigan Laws 288.577
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