Regulatory Duties of the Dairy Program
Dairy and Milk Inspection
The Dairy Inspection program mission is twofold: to provide a statewide system of milk inspection and regulatory services that provide uniform inspections of permit and license holders; and to assure consumers safe, wholesome milk and dairy products by inspecting and/or sampling all areas of the dairy industry.
Milk regulations in the United States are established through the National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments (NCIMS). The NCIMS is a voluntary organization directed by the member States and is governed by an Executive Board whose members include representatives from state departments of agriculture and health, the United States Food and Drug Administration and the dairy industry. The FDA and the NCIMS have developed a cooperative, federal-state program (the Interstate Milk Shippers Agreement) to ensure the sanitary quality of milk and milk products shipped interstate. This program is operated primarily by the states, with FDA providing varying degrees of scientific, technical and inspection assistance. The Interstate Milk Shippers Program relies upon the Grade "A" Pasteurized Milk Ordinance and related technical documents for the sanitary standards, requirements and procedures it follows to ensure the safety and wholesomeness of Grade "A" milk and milk products.
Our regulatory services are divided into the general subprograms of farm production, raw product transportation, milk processing, packaged product distribution, and wholesale and retail sale. These goals are accomplished using sanitation inspections with supporting laboratory test results obtained from milk and dairy food samples.
Dairy Farms
Kansas dairy farms are inspected at least four times a year. Inspectors look at the general sanitation and cleanliness of the milking barn, tank room and milking equipment. Actual milking practices are observed to ensure that a safe, wholesome raw product is being delivered to the pasteurization plants, where it will undergo pasteurization and processing. Each farm bulk milk supply is sampled monthly to confirm that it complies with standards for temperature, bacterial limits, drug residue, somatic cell limits, pesticide residues and added water.
Dairy Processing Plants
Dairy processing plants, and milk transfer/receiving stations, are inspected at least four times a year. Inspectors make sure they comply with cleaning and sanitation requirements. Pasteurization equipment is a primary focus of a plant inspection. It is tested quarterly to ensure that the raw milk is processed in a way that destroys all pathogens. Also, all products processed by the plant are sampled monthly to make sure they comply with standards for bacterial limits, drug residues, coliform bacteria limits, phosphatase testing and vitamin addition, and to make sure they are correctly labeled according to butterfat. Single-service dairy containers manufacturers are also inspected. These facilities produce cartons, containers and closures for packaging dairy products.
Milk Haulers
Milk haulers in Kansas are licensed to sample, collect and transport raw milk from the farm to the processing plants. New milk haulers must complete a training exercise and a written test before they are licensed by the Kansas Department of Agriculture. Each year an inspector evaluates the hauler's sampling and measuring practices. The hauler's truck tank, pump, hose and sampling equipment are inspected at least yearly for construction, cleaning and sanitation. Licenses are renewed annually, and refresher training is required every three years.
