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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 Shipper Program) 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 container 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.

Other "fluid" food inspections

The dairy inspection program also is assigned a portion of the agency food safety responsibilities. This includes the following “fluid type” food manufacturers:

bottled water
soft drink/soda bottling
ice plants
breweries
wineries
juice operations
cider mills

These food safety duties fit well within the Dairy Inspection program and the expertise of our dairy inspectors. Many of the public health concerns in these facilities are mirrored in the dairy processing plants, including: Protection of the raw materials from contamination, cross contamination of the product with physical, chemical or bacteriological contaminants and the sanitary processing and packaging of the final product.

Currently there are about 90 such facilities that dairy program personnel are regulating. Kansas regulations and Code of Federal Regulations 21 CFR part 110 good manufacturing practices mandate an annual inspection of these food processing facilities. Frequently conditions warrant follow up inspections to educate the operators and achieve compliance with basic food sanitation requirements.

On the food processing side, the grape and wine industry in Kansas is poised to undergo a rapid development. KDA will work with the industry to assist in this growth and ensure that wines are produced in a sanitary manner. The orchard and cider facilities in Kansas are another area of growth. Food borne illness associated with unpasteurized juice and cider has been reported nationwide. FDA and the states are working together to make sure that products being sold are safe for consumption. Kansas’ grape, wine, orchard and cider industries must realize that in order to grow they need to market a safe, wholesome, high quality product. Uniform application of regulations can be used to grow and promote these industries.