3. Compositional Aspects

Cheese Snack
Malaysia

This section provides the compositional requirements for the food category and/or food products in scope and information on permitted nutrients, ingredients, and additives.

3.1 Composition Requirements

None.

3.2 Raw Material Requirements

Category

Milk product

Milk and milk products must comply with the provisions set out by Regulations 82 to 116 of the Malaysia Food Regulations [1]. More specifically, component standards of cheese and cheese products will be governed by Regulations 106 to 112.

Product

Frozen cheese snack

There are no specific requirements regarding ingredients standards for “cheese snacks”, as finished products. However, the main ingredient of the product is cheese, and "cheese" is used as part of the product name and presented in the ingredients list. The manufacturer shall ensure the cheese ingredients comply with the standards prescribed in Regulation 106 to Regulation 108 [1]. 

Whereby cheese is defined as the fresh or matured solid or semi-solid product obtained by coagulating milk, cream, skimmed or partly skimmed milk or any components of milk, or a mixture of any such substance with rennet or any other protein coagulating enzymes and includes cottage cheese and cream cheese.

Cheese

Cheese may contain ripening ferments, harmless acid–producing bacterial cultures, and special mold cultures and may be coated with harmless wax or plastic.

Cheese shall contain not less than 40 percent of milk fat on a water-free basis. 

Cheese may contain permitted preservatives, permitted coloring substances of vegetable origin, and permitted flavoring substances; and may contain transglutaminase as a permitted food conditioner.

Hard cheese shall contain not more than 39 percent of water.

Cottage cheese

Cottage cheese shall be cheese made from pasteurized milk from which part of its fat has been removed or by the addition of dried non–fat milk solids. Cottage cheese shall not contain more than 80 percent of water.

Where cottage cheese is sold as “creamed” or designated as “creamed cottage cheese”, in addition to complying with the standard of "Cottage cheese", the product must contain not less than 20 percent of milk fat on a water-free basis.

Cottage cheese may contain permitted reserve.

There shall be written on the label of a package containing cottage cheese the words “cottage cheese”.

Cream cheese

Cream cheese shall be cheese made from cream or from milk to which cream has been added. Cream cheese shall contain not more than 55 percent of water; and 0.5 percent of stabilizer or emulsifier as permitted food conditioner; and shall contain not less than 65 percent of milk fat on a water-free basis. Cream cheese may contain permitted preservatives.

There shall be written on the label of a package containing cream cheese the words “cream cheese”.

3.3 Fortification

Category

Milk product

Please refer to Section 3.3 of the "General Foods" guidebook for Malaysia.

Product

Frozen Cheese Snack

Same as "Category" above.

3.4 Other Permitted Ingredients

Category

Milk product

Please refer to Section 3.4 - Other Permitted Ingredients - of the "General Foods" guidebook for Malaysia.

Product

Frozen Cheese Snack

Same as "Category" above.

3.5 Permitted Additives

Category

Milk product

Please refer to Section 3.5 - Permitted Additives - of the "General Foods" guidebook for Malaysia.

Product

Frozen Cheese Snack

Same as "Category" above.

3.6 Permitted Flavors and Colors 

Category

Milk product

Please refer to Section 3.6 - Permitted Flavors and Colors - of the "General Foods" guidebook for Malaysia.

Product

Frozen Cheese Snack

Same as "Category" above.

3.7 Permitted Processing Aids 

Category

Milk product

Please refer to Section 3.7 - Permitted Processing Aids - of the "General Foods" guidebook for Malaysia.

Product

Frozen Cheese Snack

Same as "Category" above.

3.8 Additional Notes 

None.

3.9 References

1. The Malaysian Food Regulations 1985 and its Schedules 

https://hq.moh.gov.my/fsq/peraturanperaturan-makanan-1985