High Care designation for cheese - Have BRC chickened out?

I'm just looking at the BRC standard, after all of the high care / high risk rows on here, I'm taking it that BRC listened and included both terms. Interestingly though they don't think hard cheeses are high care. This goes against the view of Tesco who I believe are trying to introduce high care in all cheese packing sites. Although Listeria mono. in cheddar is rare, it's not completely unheard of.

I feel that cheeses whether soft or hard are all comprised of protiensand fats which are regarded as high risk foods so they should be classed as high care. However, it is true that the number of incidents of Listeria monocytogenes is a lot lower than say soft cheese, but nevertheless it can still harbour this nasty organism.

I feel that cheeses whether soft or hard are all comprised of protiensand fats which are regarded as high risk foods so they should be classed as high care. However, it is true that the number of incidents of Listeria monocytogenes is a lot lower than say soft cheese, but nevertheless it can still harbour this nasty organism.

I completely agree. It goes through a heat process to be made, it needs to be stored chilled, I don't see the low risk element to it! I think it's a quirk of history in the food industry that because cheese factories have been around forever and there are plenty of old, poorly built plants, the manufacturers have put pressure on BRC to not make it high care! Tsk!

I completely agree. It goes through a heat process to be made, it needs to be stored chilled, I don't see the low risk element to it! I think it's a quirk of history in the food industry that because cheese factories have been around forever and there are plenty of old, poorly built plants, the manufacturers have put pressure on BRC to not make it high care! Tsk!

I forget how old the factories are in UK!! I was a resident in UK and was trained in UK and as have been living down under I only see new factories so one forgets!! However, BRC should not succumb to the needs to these manufacturers as they will only dilute the BRC standard!!