Cheese producers from São Paulo are closer to state certification

In July 2021, the owners of the Lano-Alto farm, in Catuçaba, rural district of São Luiz do Paraitinga (SP), saw 120 kilos of cheese being destroyed by inspectors from the regional Agricultural Defense of the State.

Production lacked both the municipal inspection seal (SIM), which until then did not exist in the city, and the state seal (SISP), whose rules, established in 2000, made it impossible to register a large part of artisanal producers.

The episode caused commotion among public opinion, but ended up unraveling the bureaucracy machine — the São Luiz do Paraitinga city hall ended up instituting the SIM for products of animal origin, which allows commercialization within the limits of the municipality, and Lano-Alto is already fixed.

At the same time, the state government managed, in record time, to write a new law, approve it in the Legislative Assembly and take it to the governor João Dória for sanction — the entire process, which took three months, was officially concluded on 18 November.

Law 17.453/2021 brings changes celebrated by producers. Artisanal production is now allowed in urban areas, and the requirement for 50% of the raw material to be produced in-house has been dropped. Before, cheesemakers were obliged to also be animal breeders. The manufacture of raw milk cheeses is also considered.

“The old law did not meet the needs of the production chain. So much so that, of the 570 establishments registered in São Paulo, only 35 are artisanal. This is very little for a state where agriculture is so important”, says Bruno Bergamo Ruffolo, director of the Center of Inspection of Products of Animal Origin of the Agricultural Defense Coordination of the Secretary of Agriculture and Supply of São Paulo.

It is now necessary to regulate the law — technical and legal aspects have been discussed by representatives of the sector. According to Ruffolo, the process is accelerated and should be completed in the first quarter of 2022. But for Paulo Lemos, owner of Lano-Alto, the soap opera is far from over.

“If they continue demanding unfeasible facilities for small producers, who have little money, and do not allow cheese dairies that are already in operation to regularize themselves, it won’t help at all”, he believes. “We’ve been trying to participate in the meetings, but fundamental decisions continue to be made behind closed doors. I’m not a pessimist, but I’m skeptical.”

Ruffolo, on the contrary, bets that the new law will allow the number of certified establishments, with authorization to sell products throughout the state of São Paulo, to jump from 35 to more than 100 “in a short period of time”.

After the regulation, Law 17.453/2021 may also pave the way for obtaining the Art Seal, which identifies artisanal food products and allows commercialization throughout the national territory — although it is a federal certification, the concession is up to the states.

So far, only four manufacturers in São Paulo have managed to obtain the Art Seal for their products: the Capril do Bosque and Belafazenda cheese factories, the Leite na Pista snack bar and dairy in Tremembé, and the Sítio Areia Branca apiary in Tietê.