“Natamycin in Cheese …really?”

Generally, you would not think that there is a problem with grated cheese. It’s a good source of fat and protein and goes on everything from tacos to omelets. However, recently when looking at a package of grated cheese at home, I noticed Natamycin on the ingredient list. I was shocked, it is on my “Nasty List” of ingredients to avoid. Natamycin in Cheese …really? I was consuming it and hadn’t bothered to read the ingredients. I thought the cheese just contained cheese. I was wrong. Natamycin is a medication used to treat vaginal and topical yeast (fungal) infections. It is a useful antifungal agent. It is not a food and should definitely not be in our cheese and should not be consumed on a regular basis.

It has been shown in test quantities to cause DNA damage in human lymphocytes:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19514938

It may also cause damage to sperm cells:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20026162

It may cause digestion problems by interfering with the bacteria in our bowels that we need:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16819463

Conclusion: Natamycin is a medication and should not be added to our food.
Action Item: Read labels and avoid Natamycin in your food and that includes you, “Dr. Goertz”. If necessary grate your own cheese.