Cheeses under IJHARS control: 19 of 148 batches rejected in laboratory tests, cow DNA found in a “sheep and goat” cheese
On 10 September 2026 IJHARS published the results of a check of cheeses in 60 shops — irregularities were found in 46.7% of them. Samples from 148 batches were taken for laboratory testing and 19 of them (12.8%) were rejected, mainly because salt, fat and protein contents did not match the declaration.
- The check covered ripened and unripened cheeses, packaged and sold loose, including foreign cheeses, products with a Protected Designation of Origin or Protected Geographical Indication, and goat’s and sheep’s milk cheeses. Organoleptic characteristics were checked in 41 batches and raised no objections.
- Non-conformities in laboratory tests concerned mainly understated or overstated salt, fat and protein contents compared with the nutrition declaration. Two cases revealed more serious irregularities: undeclared sorbic acid and sorbates, and cow DNA in a cheese declared as “sheep and goat”.
- Labelling was checked in 156 batches and one in three (32.1%) had irregularities — among other things a nutrient content not confirmed by laboratory tests, the wording “of which saturated” instead of “of which saturated fatty acids”, a wrong heading or date order for the use-by date, a name inconsistent with the composition, and a preservative found in tests but missing from the ingredient list.
- IJHARS recalls that the name “cheese” may be used only for a dairy product without vegetable fat, and that cheese made from raw milk must carry the relevant information next to its name. The absence of an ingredient list means that only basic ingredients were used — milk and milk products, microbial cultures, enzymes and salt.
Source: IJHARS — Deska serów, czyli wyniki kontroli IJHARS (10.09.2026)