SFDA: ‘Cheese Constituents are made of vegetable oils and do not contain any harmful substances’

SFDA confirmed that some spread cheese products in the local market are made of cheese constituents that are manufactured from vegetable oil due to their low cost, explaining that cheese constituents do not contain natural cheese.

SFDA pointed out that spread cheese products are made of processed cream cheese and other processed cheese (very few in the local market),

it added that the consumer can recognize the type of cheese and it’s ingredients from it’s label

SFDA said all these products in general do not contain harmful substances and their additives are allowed in certain quantities. The content of these products have high calories.

According to SFDA definition the spread cheese is a form or type of processed cheese which is made from one type or a mixture of many types of cheese. Other milk products such as butter or dried milk can be added to it.

Processed cheese can be classified according to their additives a Saudi standard identifying the ingredients of each type of processed cheese.

An example of processed cheese is cheese triangles , squares , cheese slices and canned cheese or cheese bars wrapped in aluminum foil.

One of the types existing in the market named in Saudi standards is processed cheese constituents. This type is made of a mixture of milk products and ingredients that do not include cheese.

Also;  in other types of spread cheese milk fat is substituted by vegetable oils and must be labeled as such.