During the initial stage, microbiological analyses of milk and cheese, monitoring work-top surfaces, the water supply, technical reviews of milking equipment and specific training in food handling have thrown up objective data that endorse the quality of the milk from which local cheeses are made.

Most goat’s milk produced on the island is used in cheese making. In this regard, a technical study has shown that around 3,400 tons of cheese are produced in Tenerife each year50% of production in the province and 25% of the entire region.

The Registro General Sanitario de Alimentos (General Register of Foodstuffs) currently includes 75 artisanal cheese-makers the majority of whom make cheese from their own dairy production. Now after three years of work, 100% of the artisanal cheese-makers entered in the Register comply with health requirements.

Moreover, the Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación (Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food) has recently announced the granting of an important award to the Cabildo Insular de Tenerife for its work in ensuring that artisanal cheese-makers adapt to new European regulations.The prize acknowledges the technical work of Cabildo personnel who used their visits to dairy farms to gather information which was subsequently included in the Guía de Prácticas Correctas de Higiene para las Queserías Artesanales de Tenerife (Guide of Correct Hygiene Practices for Artisanal Cheese-Makers in Tenerife), an essential document for introducing health requirements.