Canastra cheese takes one step towards artisinal industry development
Caio Alves
Published 2020년 9월 15일
The production of artisanal cheese from Minas Gerais has just won a specific law to regulate this important sector of gastronomy and the state economy. On Wednesday morning (19/08), Governor Romeu Zema (Novo party) signed the decree that recognizes the Artisanal Cheese Law. In addition to regulating the production and sale of different types of cheese, the article aims to enhance the products of regional culture.
Present at the signing ceremony of the decree, broadcast on social networks, the president of the Minas Gerais Association of Artisanal Cheese Producers (Amiqueijo) and the Association of Canastra Cheese Producers (Aprocan).
It is believed that the decree could further develop the Serra da Canastra region, and make the rules that make artisanal cheese production official as an agro-industry and make it possible to create varieties of artisanal cheeses. Until then, there was only legal recognition in Minas Gerais for artisanal minas cheese.
The decree allows the expansion of the variety of artisanal cheeses produced in Minas Gerais, besides being important for the generation of income, quality of life and for the maintenance of producers.
According to the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (Seapa), the next step is the regulation of each type / variety of the product, in order to ensure that the specificities of each region are preserved and considered in the regularization process based on technical studies. .
Before standardization, only artisanal Minas cheese with washed rind was legally based to be produced in the state - without allowing product variations. Now, other varieties can also be recognized and regularized, such as, for example, cabacinha cheese, brown cheese, Porteirinha cheeses and other artisanal cheeses from the regions of Alagoa and Mantiqueira.
The standard will also allow the production of cheese with milk from other animal species such as goat, sheep and buffalo, in addition to officially recognizing new techniques for the production or maturation of products. The goal is to encourage product diversification and encourage producers, seeking new market opportunities.
With the regulation of the Law, producers who are not regularized expect to adjust production before entering the Instituto Mineiro de Agropecuária (IMA), in order to add value to the product and the Serra da Canastra region - the main production area of the cheeses.
According to surveys by the Canastra Cheese Producers Association, there are at least 735 cheese producers working without IMA registration in the region. Another 65 producers are already registered or are in the process of regulating the document compliance.
Also according to the association, the average daily production of regularized professionals reaches up to 25 cheeses, whose value is five times higher in relation to cheeses produced informally. Sales by registered producers in the region total R$ 81,250 per day.
Present at the signing ceremony of the decree, broadcast on social networks, the president of the Minas Gerais Association of Artisanal Cheese Producers (Amiqueijo) and the Association of Canastra Cheese Producers (Aprocan).
It is believed that the decree could further develop the Serra da Canastra region, and make the rules that make artisanal cheese production official as an agro-industry and make it possible to create varieties of artisanal cheeses. Until then, there was only legal recognition in Minas Gerais for artisanal minas cheese.
The decree allows the expansion of the variety of artisanal cheeses produced in Minas Gerais, besides being important for the generation of income, quality of life and for the maintenance of producers.
According to the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (Seapa), the next step is the regulation of each type / variety of the product, in order to ensure that the specificities of each region are preserved and considered in the regularization process based on technical studies. .
Before standardization, only artisanal Minas cheese with washed rind was legally based to be produced in the state - without allowing product variations. Now, other varieties can also be recognized and regularized, such as, for example, cabacinha cheese, brown cheese, Porteirinha cheeses and other artisanal cheeses from the regions of Alagoa and Mantiqueira.
The standard will also allow the production of cheese with milk from other animal species such as goat, sheep and buffalo, in addition to officially recognizing new techniques for the production or maturation of products. The goal is to encourage product diversification and encourage producers, seeking new market opportunities.
With the regulation of the Law, producers who are not regularized expect to adjust production before entering the Instituto Mineiro de Agropecuária (IMA), in order to add value to the product and the Serra da Canastra region - the main production area of the cheeses.
According to surveys by the Canastra Cheese Producers Association, there are at least 735 cheese producers working without IMA registration in the region. Another 65 producers are already registered or are in the process of regulating the document compliance.
Also according to the association, the average daily production of regularized professionals reaches up to 25 cheeses, whose value is five times higher in relation to cheeses produced informally. Sales by registered producers in the region total R$ 81,250 per day.
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