Bulk American Cheese Grades and Standards

Bulk American cheese is American cheese which is packaged in bulk form. No single piece of cheese, whatever its shape, shall weigh less than 100 pounds.

Grades of Bulk American Cheese

  1. U.S. Extra Grade. U.S. Extra Grade shall conform to the following requirements (also see Tables I, II, and III of the standard):
    1. Flavor. Shall be pleasing and characteristic of the variety and type of cheese. For detailed specifications and classification of flavor characteristics, see Table I.
    2. Body and texture. A sample drawn from the cheese shall be firm and sufficiently compact to draw a plug for examination. For detailed specifications and classification of body and texture characteristics, see Table II.
    3. Finish and appearance. For detailed specifications and classification of finish and appearance characteristics, see Table III)
  2. ​U.S. Standard Grade. U.S. Standard grade shall conform to the following requirements (also see Tables I, II, and III of the standard):
    1. Flavor. Shall be pleasing but may possess certain flavor defects to a limited degree. For detailed specifications and classification of flavor characteristics, see Table I.
    2. Body and texture. The cheese shall be sufficiently compact to draw a plug for examination; however, it may have large and connecting mechanical openings. In addition to four sweet holes, the plug sample may have scattered yeast holes and other scattered gas holes. For additional detailed specifications and classification of body and texture characteristics, see Table II.
    3. Finish and appearance. For detailed specifications and classification of finish and appearance characteristics, see Table III.
  3. U.S. Commercial Grade. U.S. Commercial Grade shall conform to the following requirements (also see Tables I, II, and III of the standard):
    1. Flavor. May possess certain flavor defects to specified degrees. For detailed specifications and classification of flavor characteristics, see Table I.
    2. Body and texture. A plug drawn from the cheese may appear loosely knit with large and connecting mechanical openings. For detailed specifications and classification of body and texture characteristics, see Table II.
    3. Finish and appearance. For detailed specifications and classification of finish and appearance characteristics, see Table III.
 
Detailed standards, Inspection Instructions & Other Resources: