Raw milk cheese is made with milk that has not been pasteurized or heat-treated. These cheeses are crafted with extreme care using traditional processes and high quality ingredients, ensuring they are safe to eat, and have luscious flavors and textures. These are truly special cheeses—it's time to start enjoying them!

With help from cheese experts, including the OCC Advisory Committees and peer-reviewed literature such as the award-winning The Oxford Companion to Cheese, the Oldways Cheese Coalition has established a set of attributes or desirable qualities that help define traditional cheeses. These attributes focus on:

1. The milk
2. Production practices
3. Culture and history

Unlike raw milk, which is served fresh and associated with food safety risks, raw milk cheese-making is a traditional preservation method, where good bacteria is nurtured to crowd out the bad bacteria. In this session, Carlos Yescas, a well known cheese expert and judge and former Director of the Oldways Cheese Coalition, gives dietitians an update on raw milk cheese regulations in the United States and reviews which popular cheeses are traditionally made with raw milk. Carlos also explains the difference between raw, unpasteurized, and pasteurized cheese, and how the pasteurization process impacts cheese flavor and microbial activity. Kelly (Toups) LeBlanc, MLA, RD, LDN closes with guidance on cheese intake during pregnancy and gives a research update on raw milk cheese and the microbiome, and how traditional, artisanal cheeses fit into a healthy diet.