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Food Safety Information
Ensuring the safety of dairy foods is a responsibility the dairy industry, including dairy farmers and dairy processors, takes very seriously. As such, milk and other dairy products are among the safest and most-highly regulated foods in the world. Working in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the American dairy industry has established a rigorous and far-reaching food safety program that ensures that the milk and dairy products you and your family enjoy remain pure and wholesome.
While effective food safety starts with sound farming practices along with good management at the dairy and retail store, it ends in your home. In fact, according to the USDA, 97 percent of all foodborne illness can be prevented by improving food-handling practices at home. For more information on what America's dairy farmers and processors are doing to keep milk pure, click on the links below. More importantly, for information on what you can do to help keep your family safe, click on the Food Safety at Home link.
- Food Safety on the Farm
- Food Safety at the Dairy and the Grocery Store
- Food Safety At Home
- Frequently Asked Questions
Food Safety on the Farm
The Importance of Healthy Cows
The first step in safeguarding a safe and wholesome supply of high-quality milk is to ensure that dairy cows themselves are healthy. That's why America's dairy farmers provide their cows with safe and comfortable living conditions and the highest-quality veterinary care in the world.
On U.S. farms, dairy cows are provided with specialized bedding to provide comfort, ample space in which to live, protection from extreme weather and the elements and a clean and hygienic barn and milking stalls. This combination of housing features ensures that each cow lives as comfortably as possible, increasing its resistance to disease.
Just as importantly, dairy farmers provide their animals with an extensive range of preventative health care, including vaccinations and regular check-ups - just like parents provide for their children. If a cow should become sick, farmers remove the cow from the general population while it is being treated and do not ship the cow's milk off the farm.
Today we know that proper nutrition is just as important to overall health as is medical care. That's just as true with dairy cows as it is with humans. Dairy farmers meet regularly with not just their veterinarians, but also with bovine nutritionists to make sure that each cow's diet is providing them with the proper amount of nutrients, vitamins and minerals.
Hygienic Milking and Transportation
Today's dairy cows are milked by sterilized machines. In fact, from the cow to your table, human hands never touch the milk and dairy products you enjoy. Instead the milk goes directly from the udder to specialized refrigerated stainless-steel tanks that keep the raw milk at or below 45 degrees Fahrenheit. That low temperature helps to keep the milk fresh as well as safe. This milk is then transported directly to dairy processing plants on at least a daily basis.
Food Safety at the Dairy and the Grocery Store
The safety of dairy products in the United States is overseen through a cooperative program involving the FDA, state regulators and the dairy industry, which enforces the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO). This model regulation contains an extensive set of requirements for milk production and processing and is the basis for ensuring the safety of our milk supply. Working with the FDA and state regulators, the nation's dairy industry ensures that milk is produced and processed in a safe and sanitary manner and leaves their facilities free of any possible disease causing organisms.
Testing each load of milk
Every single shipment of milk that enters a dairy processing plant is tested for a variety of safety and quality factors. Any milk that does not meet these stringent standards is immediately discarded and the farm that is the source of the milk is identified and pays for the cost of the entire shipment. According to the most recent studies, less than 0.1% of all shipments do not meet federal standards. In addition to this regular testing regimen, federal, state and local regulatory agencies make frequent and unannounced on-site inspections of each dairy processor and dairy farms.
The importance of pasteurization
French doctor and scientist Louis Pasteur invented the process of pasteurization more than a century ago. Since its discovery, pasteurization has safeguarded much of our food supply, including milk and dairy products.
By heating the incoming refrigerated raw milk in specially-designed equipment, pasteurization ensures the safety and wholesomeness of the product while not affecting the quality or taste of the milk. Once pasteurized, milk and milk products are then routinely tested for product quality and safety. Most fluid milk in the United States is required to be pasteurized, and if it's not pasteurized, it's required to be labeled as raw milk. Most domestic fresh and soft cheeses are also pasteurized. Hard cheeses aged longer than 60 days do not require pasteurization.
For more information on pasteurization, click here: [LINK]
Rapid Cooling
Once it has been pasteurized, milk is rapidly chilled to between 38 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit until it is packaged. This rapid cooling helps to keep the milk as fresh as possible. To maintain freshness, milk is constantly refrigerated until the consumer puts it in his or her shopping cart. Similarly, milk should be refrigerated at home until it's ready to be used.
At the Grocery Store
Every carton of milk sold in the United States is clearly labeled with either a "sell by" or "use by" date. These dates tell you how long you can keep and use the milk you buy. The "sell by" date refers to how long a grocery store can keep the product in the dairy case. If kept refrigerated, milk will stay fresh for two or three days after the "sell by" date. The "use by" date shows how long the product will stay fresh at home.
Food Safety At Home
The home kitchen is the most important battle line in the war against foodborne disease. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 97 percent of all foodborne illnesses could be avoided by following a few simple steps, either at home or in restaurant kitchens.
- Wash your hands The most important step is also the easiest - keep your hands clean when handling any food.
- Protect against cross-contamination In order to prevent any possible cross-contamination, wash all surfaces (including cutting boards and kitchen counters) in between uses. Be especially careful to wash knives and surfaces after cutting raw poultry, meat and fish.
- Keep foods out of the "danger zone" As a general rule, foods should always be very cold or very hot. Foods that are in between 41 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit can serve as a breeding ground for harmful bacteria. Keep foods in the refrigerator until ready to cook or drink. Once food is cooked, serve hot or (if serving later) rapidly chill in an ice-water bath before refrigerating.
Shop for milk and other perishable items last, just prior to check-out. Immediately take these perishable items home or place them in a cooler to maintain proper temperatures.
- Be extra-careful in the summer
The living may be easy in the summer, but it's also the peak period for foodborne disease. While the microorganisms that can cause disease grow faster in the summer months, the real culprit is often our enjoyable summer cookouts and picnics. Protect against cross contamination by using a clean platter or plate to take food off the grill and by washing any tools you use to handle raw meat, poultry and fish. Also, keep raw meats and chilled foods safe in a cooler instead of baking in the hot summer sun.
For more information on food safety please visit our FAQ section.
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