Celebrating the QA Team This American Cheese Month

American Cheese Month is upon us, a celebration of everyone who goes into making American cheese the absolute best.  And no cheese can be the best without strict quality measures in place and a dedicated quality team working tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure the safety, integrity and best-in-class flavor of all the cheeses we produce.

A small but mighty team of three, QA Manager Scott Pucko, QA Lead Nick Williamette and Lab Tech Ched Srey are behind the wheel, assuring the quality of the process from start to finish.  Present at all times during the production process, they oversee sanitation, pasteurization and heat treatment, aging, GMPs (good manufacturing practices), environmental monitoring, routine internal inspections, and finished product analytical and micro testing.

From the moment the milk arrives, even before the cheese making begins, the QA team is performing a series of quality checks on this essential ingredient, including antibiotic and aflatoxin screening, titratable acidity testing, and organoleptic evaluation, using their trained senses to flag any concerns.

QA is then heavily involved during the cheese making process itself.  First and foremost, they adhere to a “roadmap” so to speak known as the Code of Federal Regulations, or CFR, which sets the standard of identity for many types of cheeses, including Blue and Gorgonzola.  QA ensures all criteria are met so that the finished product can in fact be considered Blue cheese and labeled as such.

Also during the cheesemaking, in-process testing aids ensure parameters are met along the way as outlined in the plant’s standard operating procedures.  Each vat of cheese is then tasted, and notes are taken regarding the appearance, flavor and texture.  When cheese is nearing completion in the curing caves, it once again is sampled and checked thoroughly by the QA team.  Cheese is tested for bacteria including E-coli, Listeria, Salmonella and Staph. Analyticals of the cheese’s moisture, pH, salt and fat content are taken to ensure each falls within an appropriate range.  A final organoleptic evaluation is also done.

Think QA’s job is complete once the cheese leaves the building?  Think again. Finished product is assigned a unique lot number and is traceable to each customer.  Even the packaging and ingredients inside the cheese is lot traceable!  If ever an issue arose, the QA team would be able to take quick action to identify affected lots and work toward a resolution.  Caves of Faribault’s QA team conducts mock traceability exercises a minimum of twice a year so all team members are fully trained to react quickly and effectively to any safety issue.

Caves of Faribault is SQF Certified, meaning they adhere to a comprehensive food safety and quality management system.  The facility is also routinely audited – The Minnesota Department of Agriculture conducts audits roughly every three months, and the USDA visits twice a year.  SQF audits happen annually.  Organizations for Kosher, Organic and Halal certifications also inspect the facility for compliance.  Each audit is used as a training opportunity to continually approve quality and safety practices. 

If this all seems like a lot of effort goes into ensuring your cheese is both delicious and safe, that’s because it does!  We tip our hats to our dedicated QA staff this American Cheese Month for all the work they put in each and every day!

A PSA for graduating high school seniors  - if a career in Quality within the dairy industry sounds intriguing to you, consider pursuing a degree in food science, biology or chemistry!  You can become part of the next generation of QA personnel that makes American dairy products the absolute best!