Cheese makers in Wisconsin are worried that they might not be able to get all the dry ice they need because it’s needed for handling Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine.
In a letter dated December 4, the Wisconsin Cheesemakers Association (WCMA) told top officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Department of Defense and Department of Health and Human Services that they welcome and applaud the swift distribution of Covid-19 vaccines, but are concerned that the dry ice needed to keep these vaccines viable could harm the dairy industry and asked for help to make sure that doesn’t happen.
The cheese makers need dry ice to keep the bacterial cultures that are key to making cheeses, yogourts and similar dairy products.
The association said there is no substitute for dry ice for the global storage and distribution of dairy cultures.
