U. S. Food and Drug Administration
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
FDA Prime Connection

 
 1996 Dairy Processor Newsletter
                                                            AUGUST 1996
 
 
PENNSYLVANIA FLUID MILK Open
Dating Extended to 14 Days
As of July 6, 1996, all fluid milk sold in Pennsylvania
may have an open date of up to 14 days from the date of
processing. On that date changes in regulations of the
Bureau of Food Safety and Laboratory Services of the
Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture were published in
the Pennsylvania Bulletin. This extended length of time
from 12 to up to 14 days   begins on the  day of
processing and packaging. It expires on the "sell by" date
that is stamped on every container.
This change is possible because of the efforts of the more
than 50 processors selling milk in Pennsylvania who turned
to and met the challenge of packaging the purest product
possible in their plants. "Sell by'" or open dating is for the
purpose of rotation and does not indicate the day the milk
will spoil. Rather, the committed management and
dedicated workers in processing plants changed processing
procedures and sanitation practices to actually achieve
14-day keeping quality at the maximum permitted
regulatory temperature of 45  F.
The extension in mandatory "sell by" maximum open
dating evolved because of educational programs conducted
cooperatively by the Food Science Department of the
Pennsylvania State University, regional dairy sanitarians of
the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, and many
persons and companies in allied industry which supply the
dairy industry. Results of the five-year study were
absolutely essential in convincing legislators and review
committees that an extension  in open dating was justified.
The result is that consumers can expect that at least 90
percent of the milk that they buy and properly handle will
retain its quality until at least the open date on the
container. This is a high compliment to the workers in all
fluid milk plants.
The only exception to a pronounced flavor prior to the
expiration date is the tallowy, cardboardy taste found in
about 50 percent of the plastic jugs of milk. This may be
mistaken for spoilage, but it is  a chemical change caused
by exposure to any kind of light other than incandescent.
The milk is safe   bacteria are not involved   but the
taste is not preferred by most consumers.
The "sell by" or open dating in Pennsylvania is an
allowable maximum for fluid milk, rather (as permitted in
many states) than a number selected by marketing or sales
persons in individual dairies.  The 14 days was established
based upon an extensive five-year educational and
evaluation effort. It was a demonstration that all processors
could meet the 14-day time with about 90 percent of their
samples. These were collected, held, tested, and evaluated
at Penn State University. Four or five or more sets of
samples were obtained, on an unannounced basis, from
each processing plant and transported to the Penn State
University Creamery Laboratory, where they were held for
an additional 14 days before testing for bacterial quality
and tasting. The applied study of 1,302 samples was
completed in the summer of 1994, but more than 14
months passed before regulatory approval was granted.
Whenever you buy milk in Pennsylvania, you can be quite
sure that it will keep until the "sell by" date or longer at the
recommended temperature of  40  F , so there is no reason
to look through the dairy case for the freshest containers of
product. Should you find a container of fluid milk that did
not keep when properly held in your refrigerator at 40 F or
cooler, was not exposed to light, and was otherwise properly
handled after you bought it, return it to the manager of the
store. If you know which plant processed the milk, call the
office and ask to speak to a person responsible for quality.
Most dairy plants appreciate feed-back from their
consumers.
Extending Keeping Quality
A CONTINUOUS EFFORT
During the past two years processing plants have worked
hard to even further extend the keeping quality of their
fluid milk. In the last four months, six plants have
succeeded in getting 100 percent of 49 samples (samples,
representative of a single day's production of all products,
were obtained directly from the plant) to keep at 45 F for
14 days. Ninety-six percent of the samples remained free
of coliforms or any indication of spoilage bacteria, and 68
percent of the samples had Standard Plate Counts (SPCs)
of less than 20,000 colonies per ml. Even though these are
the minimum standards for milk (less than 10 coliforms per
ml and less than 20,000 SPC per ml) on the day of
processing, all plants nationwide strive for coliform-free
milk.
In a further stress test designed to see how long today's
milk will keep, unopened samples of containers of fluid
milk were held at the maximum permitted temperature of
45 F for 21 days after processing. Eighty-four percent of
these 49 samples   from six different plants   remained
acceptable to drink and 90 percent were still free of
coliform or spoilage bacteria. In addition, 25 percent of the
SPCs were less than 20,000 per ml after 21 days.
The dedicated University Creamery employees, who have
no direct connection with me, except they know that I'll try
to answer their questions in the quality and flavor area,
then wanted to go beyond 21 days holding at 45 F.  I am
not aware of any plant in the US plating, or even smelling,
the samples after 28 days. Based upon 12 samples taken as
duplicates out of the same cases, here are the results.
Granted this sample population is statistically small, but it
represents good quality over four different days of
production. Last week, bacterial counts in the raw milk
ranged from 700 to 5,700 per ml. The numbers are both
surprising and outstanding in my judgment., and reflect the
benefits of cooperation of dairymen.
                      21 Days 28 Days
Samples Acceptable      (%)     (%)
(i.e., not spoiled)    92        75
Coliforms
     Less than one/ml            92      100
SPC
     Less than 20,000/ml        58           33
 
None of you would expect such results! The University
Creamery has no enclosed filler and the processing and
packaging room doors are double-swinging. There is no
positive-pressure ventilation system, and the pasteurized
surge tanks are up to 40 years old   a plant not unlike
many in Pennsylvania. This accomplishment is totally a
reflection of Creamery workers' initiative, as supported by
informed management.
It seems that we have seen that with motivated, dedicated,
and knowledgeable workers much longer shelf-life can be
obtained. Secondly, when bacterial counts are below
20,000 per ml at 14 days, the product will probably keep
for another 7 or 14 days. However, there is no justifiable
reason, in my judgment, for going beyond 14-day open
dating. Anything additional is to gain a marketing edge on
the competition for a short time. In the end you all suffer,
because some stores and institutions do an inadequate job
of rotating the product and occasionally use the freshest
product first.
The majority of your workers are doing an outstanding job
for you and for their future with your company.
PRICES OF Milk and Dairy
Products Increase Sharply
Milk prices at the farm may exceed $14.50 per
hundredweight in August and possibly higher in
September. It all depends on who you listen to and where
you are, but whoever and whatever, it is welcome news for
dairymen, even if not for processors or consumers. As a
result wholesale prices of nonfat dry skim are about $1.30
per pound, butter about $1.40 per pound, and cheddar
cheese $1.60 or more a pound, with protein at nearly $2.80
per pound. Store prices in Washington and Oregon varied all
over the board. Gallons of milk in two stores in the same
mall were $1.79 and $2.99 per gallon. Butter and cheese
prices varied widely by brand and store, also. What can be
expected in the next few months? I'm not sure that even a
dairy economist will do any predicting at this point,
especially as dairy cattle feed prices decrease slightly and
beef prices increase. Milk production in some of the major
states is sure to increase. Dairy prices would seem to drop,
at least by early winter, as fall-freshening cows add to
production. But, then again, prices could remain strong
through spring and summer of 1997.
TOTAL June-July Drug Residue
Positive Milk in PA Decline
While its nothing to brag about, the volume of milk lost
because of chemical contamination, continued its
downward trend in June, 1996.
QUESTION: Are the dairy industry and regulatory
agencies going to continue to put the financial load on just
a few dairymen, as has been the case for at least the past
18 months, or is someone going to stand up and at an
increased cost require that every dairymen check a sample
of milk from every bulk tank before it is shipped? Sure, the
cost will be about $365 per farm for the year. But such a
practice could eventually eliminate the necessity of
sampling and testing every tank load received at plants and
possibly the dumping of any milk beyond that of the
individual farm. Continuation of the current situation [i.e.,
dumping of 31 confirmed loads (out of 35 screened
positive) in June, requiring the disposal of 780,299 pounds
of milk in farm liquid-manure tanks or sewage-treatment
systems| is completely unacceptable. It would appear that
this is where education is no longer effective and farm
testing becomes a mandate.
However, you are to be commended for the almost 50
percent reduction, in both loads and volume, for July,
1996, as compared to July, 1995. Carol Wallace,
Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, reports that in
this past July only 24 of the 28 loads screened as positive
were confirmed as positive. The milk destroyed totaled
629,892 pounds, a welcome downward trend.
Lifting to Protect Your
Back   The PSU Safety Way
One of the topics on Tom Palchak's single-day  seminar for
his processing and salesroom workers was how to lift items
without inviting back injury. I'll pass along three items outlined
by Curt Speaker of the PSU Department of Environmental
Health and Safety in his general comments and discussion on
safety.
 
Safe Lifting:
  1. Clear all obstacles out of your way beforehand; making sure
     that you know which are immovable.
  2. Face the item squarely and get as close to it as possible.
3. Do not lift over an obstacle; move it or go      around.
  4. Position your feet so they are your shoulder-width apart.
  5. Squat down, bending at your knees, and keeping your back
     arched.
6. Grip the item firmly.
7. Take a deep breath and hold it.
8. Tighten your abdomen.
  9. Extend your leg muscles to bring yourself to a standing
     position.
  10. Where possible, avoid lifting items over your head.
  11. With items weighing more than 50 pounds, use a mechanical
     lift or get help from one or more fellow workers. Most any
     one of us can pick up a 10-gallon can of product [weighing
     about 115 pounds|, so we tend to ignore the ideal procedure.
 
 
Carrying and putting down:
  1. Carry the object as close to your body as possible.
  2. Do not twist or turn your upper body while carrying a heavy
     object.
3. Arch your back.
4. Tighten your abdomen.
5. Bend at the knees.
  6. If possible, store heavy objects off the floor, but no higher than
     average waist-height.
The purpose of the above presentation and discussion was
to make creamery workers aware of the hazards involved in
lifting. In 1993, the last year for which data are available,
770,000 back injuries were reported in the US work force.
It is the leading injury in the workplace; and accounts for
31 percent of the funds spent on workmen's compensation.
Curt covered eye safety, handling chemicals, hearing
protection, and other possible injuries as well.
Surprisingly, medical and safety faculty and staff at Penn
State University do not recommend the back straps or
harnesses that one sees on many loading-dock workers and
on many staff members in nursing homes and rehab
centers. These belt-like devices are reputed to function as
a possible preventive measure to a back injury, but studies
have shown that they may cause more problems than they
prevent.
The choice is up to you and your company. But at Penn
State, only employees that have been injured and hold a
doctor's prescription for a back brace will be provided or
reimbursed for one.
THE SWEETENER Aspartame
receives FDA approval FOR
General-Purpose USE
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has amended its
regulations for food additives to include the use of
aspartame as a general-purpose sweetener in foods.
Because of the different taste aspartame has imparted in
some dairy products, we as collegiate dairy product
evaluators,  teachers, and team coaches have had to call
such a product a "definite imitation sweetener."
Because of this, care has been taken to avoid contest
samples containing aspartame. However, samples with
aspartame have been included in teaching and training,
because of its previous wide use in nonfat yogurt. At the
time it was the the only low-calorie sweetener available.
During the past year, products combining fructose and
aspartame have been developed. In comparison with sugar,
they have proven to be quite acceptable.
Overall, the evaluation of yogurt has become more liberal
so as to permit a wider variety of attributes in appearance,
body/texture, and flavor. These more closely reflect the
products now found in the marketplace, especially the
composition of milkfat from none to the rare brand that
contains nearly 3.25 percent. It is also an accomodation for
those industry persons who serve as officials at collegiate
contests.
USDA Revises Standards
for Instant Nonfat Dry Milk
Revised United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)
standards for instant nonfat dry milk became effective with
their publication in the Federal Register on July 8. The
American Dairy Products Institute sent a memo to its
members with details the next day. Key items include:
  1. Lactose may be used as a processing aid for up to 2.0
     percent of the weight of the nonfat dry milk (NFM).
  2. Vitamins A and D may now be used for fortification at
     the same level that was present in the initial milk. That
     is, each quart as reconstituted must contain 100 to 150
     percent of 2,000 International Units ( i.e., 2,000 to
     3,000 IU) of Vitamin A and 400 IU of Vitamin D.
  3. The phosphate test for grading will no longer be
     required.
Dairy Plant Fined for
Alleged Pollution of a Creek
Efforts to clean up the Chesapeake Bay now extend all the
way up through central Pennsylvania to where tributaries
of the Susquehanna River originate near the New York
State line. Environmental agencies have pursued both small
and large potential sources of contamination with vigor.
Surely, we all want clean water, but with reasonable impact
upon us as individuals and as businessmen, and on the jobs
these businesses provide to many individuals. For example,
livestock owners in many areas are no longer permitted to
spread manure on frozen ground. Instead, it must be stored
until the snows leave and the ground thaws in the spring .
Now a federal judge has handed down a fine of four million
dollars, payable over five years, believing that a dairy plant
was negligent   on 1,700 separate occasions   in
permitting organic matter to contaminate a creek. The
judge is reported to have written in the decision that the
fine would not threaten the survival of the company and
was intended to prevent future violations. The judge
supposedly indicated the company did not show good faith,
delayed correction of the alleged violations, and did not
reduce its volume of production of dairy product while
dealing with the problem. It is not practical to reduce the
production of food from a perishable raw material, because
the raw material (i.e., milk) will spoil and people will go
hungry. Surely the judge overstated the facts and expected
actions in this ruling. Appeals on this like other cases could
take years to resolve.
However, we must all take a lesson from this and maintain
detailed and accurate daily records of how we handle those
things considered pollutants. Be sure that your plant is
complying with the specific requirements for everything
going into a municipal sewer system, or into your  own
waste-disposal system, or into a small part-time trickle of
a waterway. The environmental agencies and their
employees mean serious business and will get you if they
can show that you have been negligent.
COMMENTARY ON WASHINGTON
AND OREGON Meetings
Eight days spent in committees, symposia, and General
Sessions, plus the equivalent of more than five days touring
dairy plants and farms and talking with their hospitable
managers and employees (most of whom did not even
know me) provided lots of information and impressions.
That's where I was from Saturday afternoon June 29 until
late evening of July 19.
Future DPNs will carry a variety of articles, including
reports from the International Association of Milk, Food,
and Environmental Sanitarians meeting, June 30 through
July 3. Also, there will be similar information from the meeting
of the American Dairy Science Association held at Oregon State
University from July 14 through 17.
We (June and I) were able to enjoy some decidedly
long-distance viewing. We were hiking upslope from the
visitors' center in Mt. Rainier National Park. Rainier, the
locals told us, is as often as not hidden in clouds or fog, but
on this day it was a majestic sight. Climbing Rainier was a
thought, but soon dismissed when we learned that going to
the top was an option only for those who are courageous,
can complete the two-day training program, and can
demonstrate top physical condition. A wade in the Pacific
was achievable, but the chill of the ocean water (less than
60 F) over my feet caused much pain,  and I quickly
retreated to the dry sand.
June spent a good part of the six days on spousal tours,
visiting the Seattle and Corvallis areas. We did enjoy
dinner in the Boeing airplane museum and a chance to see
airplanes from many decades ago. In Corvallis, the
evening's activity included a salmon bake. The taste of
fresh salmon is an experience only a few easterners can
claim.
In Blaine, WA, just south of the US Customs check point,
stands a seafood cafe   out on a peninsula. For a very
reasonable sum, the cafe will serve excellent scallops or
salmon. As many of you know from experience, it
frequently pays to ask a local resident to name the best
place to eat.
DPC Annual Conference:
Nov 6-8 in Syracuse
The 27th annual meeting of the Dairy Practices Council
(DPC) will be held at the Holiday Inn, Carrier Circle, East
Syracuse, NY, from noon Wednesday, Nov 6, until after
lunch on Friday, Nov 8. Wednesday and Thursday
afternoons will be work sessions for the five Task Forces
and many committees.
It is here that the real work is done   preparing new
guidelines that you receive, and revising those that need to
be made current. Energetic young people with a few years
of experience in the dairy industry are desperately needed
to work on these. Younger people have a new outlook on
things and the vigor to see that things get done, and youth
in itself can be a valuable ingredient in the work of the DPC.
You are needed to help on these guidelines and to share and
exchange the latest in dairy knowledge. You can also
suggest topics for new guidelines.
Topics currently being considered for the Thursday and
Friday morning programs are:
     US Farm Bill and Its Impact
     Results of a Performance Based Farm                Inspection Trial
     A Generic HACCP Program for Dairy Plants
     Marketing a New Dairy Product
     The Current Drug-Residue Situation
     Examples of Dairy Farm Financial Situations
Keep in mind the objectives of DPC as I understand them,
then take an active part in developing future guidelines and
regulations. The objectives below apply to the production,
processing, distribution, and consumer handling of high
quality milk and dairy products.
1. Develop and disseminate educational material to
improve sanitation practices.
2. Promote adoption of uniform and improved procedures.
FDA Issues Revision Five
of M-a-85, Beta Lactams
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued, on July
31 a revision covering Beta Lactam Methods to Use Under
Appendix N of the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance.
Additional specific tests are supposedly approved for
commingled milk only. There are still no official tests
approved for individual cows. The reason is obvious; funds
and time must be expended in testing and approving more
tests for specific drugs other than beta lactams.
MID-ATLANTIC REGIONAL MILK
SEMINAR: OCT 29-30
Lakeview Conference Center, located just a few miles north
of Morgantown, WV, is the venue for the Mid-Atlantic
Regional Milk Seminar beginning early (8 AM) Tue, Oct 29,
and concluding with the afternoon session on Wed, Oct 30.
Activities include updates by officials from the Milk Safety
Branch and other branches of the FDA, reports of industry
associations, and appearances by suppliers and
representatives of educational institutions. On Tuesday
afternoon, group meetings for laboratory, field, and plant
will be devoted to development of questions and topics that
the regulatory representatives can discuss on Wednesday
afternoon.
 
 
 
 
Written and compiled by:
     Sidney E. Barnard
          Professor of Food Science and Extension           Specialist   Dairy
          and Food Safety
          The Pennsylvania State University
          8F Borland Laboratory
          University Park, PA 16802
          (814) 863-3915
          Fax : (814) 863-6132
          Internet:
          SBARNARD@PSUPEN.PSU. EDU.
Edited by:
     Glenn D. Bengtson
          Technical Publications Editor [retired |
           Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences
 
 
 
Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension Work, Acts of Congress May 8 and
 June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the U.S. Department of
Agriculture and the Pennsylvania Legislature. T.R. Alters, Director of
Cooperative Extension, The Pennsylvania State University.
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