White brined cheese in Bulgaria will have to contain less than 58% water, and the new rule will take effect around the end of November or by the end of the year at the latest. Deputy agriculture and food minister Prof. Krum Nedelkov told reporters in Yambol.
He was in the city with deputy minister Krasimir Chakarov for the opening of the three-day National Bio Fest Yambol 2026.
The working group discussing changes to the rules on dairy products will meet on Monday at 2pm, Nedelkov said. "If we work out the final amendments on Monday, I think that by the end of next week or the week after, we can put them up on the ministry's website for public consultation for 30 days," he explained.
The meeting will look at proposals from trade groups, alongside the ministry's own ideas. "We want to get rid of the idea of cheese with high water content. Cheese that's 63-65% water is heading toward a completely different product, and we firmly disagree that this can be called cheese," the deputy minister said.
The changes aim to bring the water content in white brined cheese down from the current 60% to 58%. This will bring the product closer to good, traditional Bulgarian cheese, Nedelkov explained, adding that this is the cheese people remember from years ago.
He said the new standards will not push up the final price by much. "What we discussed with dairy industry representatives is a rise of around 0.2-0.3%, which is next to nothing," he said.
The ministry also wants to change the rules for Bulgarian kashkaval cheese. The idea is for the product to be made in a continuous process, with any break in production lasting no more than the media. "I think this will indirectly encourage the production of kashkaval from Bulgarian milk," Nedelkov added.