Cottage cheese is the soft uncured cheese prepared by mixing cottage cheese dry curd with a creaming mixture as provided in paragraph (b) of this section. The milkfat content is not less than 4 percent by weight of the finished food, within limits of good manufacturing practice. The finished food contains not more than 80 percent of moisture, as determined by the method prescribed in § 133.129(a).

The creaming mixture is prepared from safe and suitable ingredients including, but not limited to, milk or substances derived from milk. Any ingredients used that are not derived from milk shall serve a useful function other than building the total solids content of the finished food, and shall be used in a quantity not greater than is reasonably required to accomplish their intended effect. The creaming mixture shall be pasteurized; however, heat labile ingredients, such as bacterial starters, may be added following pasteurization.

The name of the food consists of the following two phrases which shall appear together:

The words “cottage cheese” which shall appear in type of the same size and style.

The statement “not less than _ percent milkfat” or “_ percent milkfat minimum”, the blank being filled in with the whole number that is closest to, but does not exceed, the actual fat content of the product. This statement of fat content shall appear in letters not less than one-half of the height of the letters in the phrase specified in paragraph (c)(1) of this section, but in no case less than one-eighth of an inch in height.

When the optional process described in § 133.129(b)(1) (ii) or (iii) is used to make the cottage cheese dry curd used in cottage cheese, the label shall bear the statement “Directly set” or “Curd set by direct acidification”. Wherever the name of the food appears on the label so conspicuously as to be seen under customary conditions of purchase, the statement specified in this paragraph, showing the optional process used, shall immediately and conspicuously precede or follow such name without intervening written, printed, or graphic matter.

Each of the ingredients used in the food shall be declared on the label as required by the applicable sections of parts 101 and 130 of this chapter, except that milk-clotting enzymes may be declared by the word “enzymes”.