Those tiny creatures that crawl all over the cheese as it is aging in French caves. Mites munch on microscopic bits of mold that grow on the outside of the young Mimolette. They burrow into the surface of the cheese its self, carving out warrens of tunnels in search of their fungi food. In turn the mites allow airflow in and around the cheese letting the other microbes, that are vital to cheese making, do their microbial thing. The mites also contribute to the flavor of the cheese. That earthy/cave damp taste? Yeah, that was them.
These mites are exactly what has the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in an uproar. Despite zero evidence of the mites causing health problems in anyone (there are people with sensitivities to mites. However this is from exposure to larger quantities of mites than is found on a Mimolette ready for consumption). Not to mention spending countless dollars and personnel power on stemming the tide of the estimated one ton of Mimolette that came into New York harbor in March.
The FDA has ruled that because of mites Mimolette is unfit for human consumption. Despite having no official standard for how many mites per square inch is acceptable. The un-official target is 6 mites per square inch. Sure, during its finishing process the cheese is blasted with compressed air and brushed, but some mites do manage to hang on. 6 mites per square inch is kind of unreasonable. Hence 2000 pounds of Mimolette are hanging around in limbo in an FDA storage facility in New Jersey. Inciting outrage from American cheese lovers and frustration from French cheese makers. I highly recommend that should you find a piece lingering at a cheese counter that you buy it immediately.
For my part I'm not devastated at the loss of Mimolette. What I am concerned about is, "what next?" Next will it be sushi? Consuming raw or undercooked fish is dangerous. Will it be all raw milk cheeses, regardless of aging time? Consuming unpasteurized milk is dangerous. Will it even be something as benign as sourdough bread? All those bacteria, fungi, and microbes could be dangerous. More than I'm concerned about the fate of poor Mimolette, I'm concerned about how far will the FDA go to dictate what we can and cannot eat.
Mimolette. It's your "Last Chance to See."