New Russian Standard for Semi-Hard Cheese Adopted from 2027

According to the updated standard, in addition to traditional animal-derived rennet enzymes, microbial chymosins are permitted for the production of semi-hard cheeses. These enzymes are already widely used in global cheese-making practices and are known for their high degree of purity, ensuring consistent quality of the final product.

Rosstandart emphasized that the main requirements for raw materials and ingredients remain at a high level. The use of microbial enzymes will allow enterprises to expand their technological capabilities and align Russian standards more closely with international practice.

The document also introduces changes to the parameters of cheese shape and weight. Specifically, the production of more compact cheese wheels is allowed:

• the minimum weight of Russian cheese is reduced from 4.7 kg to 4 kg;

• the minimum weight of Dutch cheese is decreased from 1.8 kg to 1.3 kg;

• the maximum width of a Dutch cheese wheel is increased from 15 to 20 cm.

Additionally, the standard allows for the production of cheese in the form of a euroblock — a rectangular bar with slightly convex side surfaces and rounded edges. The weight of such a cheese wheel can reach up to 24 kg.

The new rules also expand packaging options for products. Light cheeses weighing from 10 g to 3 kg can be sold as grated products, slices, bars, or cubes.

Rosstandart notes that the update to the standard will improve product traceability and increase the possibilities for cheese sales directly by producers, bypassing additional packaging by third-party companies.

Meanwhile, the requirements for the mass fraction of fat in cheese remain unchanged, but the allowable deviations have been increased to 2%.