Norwegian Kindergartens Ban Goat Cheese

Norway's brunost, or "brown cheese," is an unsung delicacy, but school administrators in one town have sparked a massive outcry after banning the stuff in kids' lunches.

Brunost is a high-fat goat cheese that is unusually brown in color and actually very sweet. It is made by overcooking the whey of goat's milk until the sugars caramelize, which makes it sweet instead of strictly savory. In fact, it is not technically a cheese because it is made from the whey of goat's milk instead of the curd, but it can be a polarizing dish. Either people love it or hate it. There's very little middle ground when it comes to sweet, brown goat cheese.

According to The Local, some brunost fans are very up in arms about the idea that a local municipality has struck the cheese from its kindergarten menus.

"This is an insane suggestion," wrote local resident Tore Landbø in the comments section of his local newspaper. What kid has ever suffered from  eating goat's cheese?"

Administrators say the brunost was cut for being just too unhealthy and sugary to feed a bunch of kindergarteners in the middle of the day.

"Brunost may taste good, but it contains nothing that a child's body can make use of," said Linda Jakobsen, head of the municipality's unit for young people, according to The Local. "Chocolate spread tastes good too, but we don't recommend that either."

In fact the fat and sugar levels of brunost have been cited as being very similar to the fat and sugar levels in straight milk chocolate.

"Parents are welcome to give their kids brunost at home," Jakobsen said. "But then it's better that they don't get it in kindergartens and schools as well."