USA: Kraft gets permit extension for market testing

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted an extension of a temporary permit issued to Kraft Foods to market test products designated as "100% Grated Parmesan Cheese" that deviate from the US standards of identity for Parmesan cheese and grated cheese. The extension is said to allow the permit holder to continue to collect data on consumer acceptance of the products while the agency takes action on a petition to amend the standard of identity for Parmesan. The petition requests FDA to change the standard curing time for Parmesan cheese from 10 months to 6 months. The agency issued the permit under section 401 of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 341).