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The most important thing is to check the expiration date, obviously 😄 But the appearance matters a lot too: if the fresh cheese has a uniform color, without weird stains or blackened parts, and the packaging isn't puffed up, we're good. Then if you can, smell it - fresh cheese has a delicate, milky smell, not sour or weird. Oh, and make sure it was stored in the fridge and wasn't left at room temperature, that makes all the difference!
As mentioned above, the date matters but I'd mainly look at the liquid around the cheese - if there's too much whey or it's cloudy, the cheese isn't fresh anymore. Then it's something you learn over time: try touching the package lightly, a fresh cheese should have a certain firmness, it shouldn't be soft or sticky. Honestly it works kind of like choosing gear for a kayak expedition, there are rules, but then experience counts too and trusting your gut 😄
Cool, so I'd add a detail nobody mentioned - smell it! Seriously, fresh cheese has a sweet, milky smell, if it smells sour or like ammonia then it's gone bad and leave it alone! Then yeah, the packaging has to be intact without weird swelling because that means there are bacteria making everything ferment. Like you guys say, the expiration date matters but trust your nose too - after years in the barracks I learned that your nose is almost never wrong, whether it's cheese or whatever! I usually just grab the one that expires as late as possible and doesn't smell weird, that's it.
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