Consumer Information - Dairy Products

Few products are as thoroughly inspected, tested, documented and verified as milk and dairy products. Milk is regulated from the farm to the consumer. Milk regulations are uniformly applied from state to state under what is known as the Interstate Milk Shippers Agreement. The United States Food and Drug Administration has oversite over these regulations.

Occassionally, the consumer may purchase milk or dairy products that has a problem such as spoilage. Frequently the consumer may just have a question about milk or dairy products.

The dairy inspection program of the Kansas Department of Agriculture may be able to answer these questions from consumers. When contacting us with a milk or dairy problem please have the following information handy:

  • the product name, brand name and size of the container
  • the "sell - by" or "use-by" date on the container
  • the name or the plant code number of the plant which packaged the product (this is commonly found imprinted or stamped near the top of the container)
  • the retail store where the product was purchased

Please contact us at:

Kansas Department of Agriculture
Dairy Inspection Program
109 SW 9th Street, 3rd Floor
Topeka, KS 66612
(785) 296-3511

For more information on how milk is secured as it is transported, please click on the following link:

Milk: Wholesome and Safe 

Raw Milk Information for Consumers

Many consumers have questions about the consumption of raw (unpasteurized) milk. Under Kansas milk regulations, dairy producers are only allowed to sell raw milk at their farm. The customer must make the purchase at the farm where the milk was produced. The advertisement of such raw milk is limited to a sign on the farm premises. Any container that the milk is sold in must be labeled "raw" or "unpasteurized - ungraded" milk.

Raw milk may contain pathogenic bacteria and consumers should be aware of the risk when consuming raw milk or dairy products made with raw milk.

More information can be obtained by clicking the following link:

What You Should Know About Unpasteurized Milk

This same raw milk information in Spanish is at this link:

Todo lo que debe saber sobre leche no pasteurizada

FDA Warns Consumers to Avoid Drinking Raw Milk

Following an outbreak in the state of Washington, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning the public against drinking raw milk because it may contain harmful bacteria that can cause life-threatening illnesses. Raw milk is not treated or pasteurized to remove disease-causing bacteria.

The risk of drinking raw milk was most recently demonstrated in Washington State by an outbreak associated with raw milk containing the bacteria called Escherichia coli O157:H7 (E. coli). To date, eight illness have been reported in Washington state, several of which were in children. Two of the children remain hospitalized. Health authorities have identified locally sold raw milk as a source of the outbreak, and have ordered the unlicensed dairy to shut down.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 300 people in the United States became ill by drinking raw milk or eating cheese made from raw milk in 2001, and nearly 200 became ill from these products in 2002.

Symptoms of E. coli O157:H7 illness include stomach cramps and diarrhea, including bloody diarrhea. E. coli O157:H7 disease sometimes leads to a serious complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which can cause kidney failure. People typically become ill two to five days after eating contaminated food. People who have developed those symptoms after consuming unpasteurized milk should seek immediate medical attention.

Pasteurization is the only effective method for eliminating the bacteria in raw milk and milk products. Pasteurization uses heat applied for a length of time sufficient to destroy harmful bacteria such as E. coli O157:H7 without significantly changing milk's nutritional value. There is no meaningful difference in the nutritional value of pasteurized and unpasteurized milk. Pasteurization can also prevent such contagious diseases as tuberculosis, diphtheria, polio, Q fever, salmonellosis, strep throat, scarlet fever, and typhoid fever that can be spread by bacteria in milk. All milk shipped between states is required, by law, to be pasteurized.