This week it has been announced that Camembert originating from Normandy in France must be made with raw milk, which is a coup for small artisan producers but rather to the contrary for large organisations.

The Institut Nationale de l'Origine et de la Qualité (INAO) announced that in order for Camembert de Normandie to carry the Appelation Controlée (AOC) label, cheese makers are not allowed to use any pasteurised, condensed or dried milk or any colourants.

Camembert de Normandie
On the most part, Camembert de Normandie is illegal in countries where raw milk is outlawed, most notably in the United States, due to the risk of it containing harmful bacteria such as E Coli. The INAO chose not to take this into account, however, when announcing the obligatory recipe for the AOC cheese. Even in France as recent at 2005, five children were hospitalised after being contaminated with E Coli after eating raw milk camembert.

No more heat-treated milk
The INAO's decision comes after a petition was created in April 2007 to "save the world's most popular French product" from being diluted by large companies who use heat-treated milk instead of raw. Lactalis, one of the companies who claimed to produce AOC certified Camembert before the change, says that it's not willing to take the risk of using raw milk and will be foregoing the AOC certification, as its customer base is loyal enough to their products.

Lactalis' spokesperson Luc Morelon said : "We have strong brands and well known products, with strong consumer confidence, and we cannot accept to take a risk on that issue. It is quite unacceptable."