Nébih experts revealed labeling and quality errors in the product test of grillable cheeses

According to the information, among the 24 factory-made grilled cheeses tested, 16 were natural and 8 were smoked, and among the 9 small-scale producer cheeses, 6 were natural and 3 were smoked. In terms of their packaging, they ranged between 150-250 grams, but there were also individually weighed products.

It was detailed that during the microbiological tests, the experts checked compliance with the dairy product regulations of the Hungarian Food Code, for example, the water content of the cheeses in the fat-free dry matter, as well as their fat content relative to the dry matter. In the case of the grilled cheeses identified as defective, the authority also fully examined the labeling of the products.

In one grilled cheese, the E. coli technological hygiene criterion was classified as “inadequate”, which primarily indicates that the production conditions did not meet the hygiene requirements. The detected amount does not pose a food safety risk, but the product was excluded from the popularity test. The manufacturer concerned must improve production hygiene and raw material selection.

The announcement mentioned that the texture characteristic “hard” was incorrectly indicated on a grilled cheese, since it belongs to the “semi-hard” category based on the water content in the fat-free cheese material.

In two other products, the fat content in relation to the dry matter exceeded the permitted deviation from the minimum value indicated on the label. During the labeling inspection, a total of seven products were found to have problems, such as deficiencies in the name and nutritional labeling. Nébih has initiated official proceedings against the manufacturers of the affected products. Some small-scale cheeses did not fully comply with the labeling rules, so their producers were asked to correct the errors.

In the popularity test, expert and lay tasters scored the products in the natural, smoked and small-scale grilled cheese categories.

Based on their evaluation, the most popular grilled cheeses in the natural category were Auchan natural grilled cheese, Breier Farm natural grilled cheese, Patinás natural grilled cheese, Hajdú natural pan-fried and grilled cheese, and Fino grilled and pan-fried cheese. Among the smoked products, Pilos smoked grill mozzarella, Szarvasi Mozzarella smoked grill mozzarella and Karaván Grill cheese steak, Spar BBQ smoked grill cheese and A Tejes smoked grill cheese performed the best, Nébih informed.