Article: Cheese makers seek OK for smaller Swiss holes

There's a rumpus in cheeseland.

It seems the holes in traditional Swiss are so large that the cheese gets torn up in the new high-speed slicing machines used by the food service industry. So cheese makers have asked the Agriculture Department to change its standards to allow for smaller holes-or "eyes"-in Grade A Swiss.

Under the existing standards, most of the holes must be between 11/ 16ths and 13/16ths of an inch in diameter. The cheese folks have asked USDA to reduce the minimum size to three-eighths of an inch. It'll decide by the end of the year.

And if you've ever wondered how the holes get there, they're actually bubbles, formed by carbon dioxide-emitting bacteria.

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