Codifying Useful Regulatory Definitions Act

Codifying Useful Regulatory Definitions Act or the CURD Act

This bill establishes a statutory definition for natural cheese. Under the bill, natural cheese is defined as cheese (ripened or unripened soft, semi-soft, or hard) that is produced from animal milk or certain dairy ingredients and is produced in accordance with established cheese-making standards. The definition excludes pasteurized process cheeses, cheese foods, and cheese spreads.

A food that does not meet this definition is deemed misbranded and may not be sold if its label includes the term natural cheese as a factual descriptor of a category of cheese.