Milk-and-Dairy-Products-in-Human-Nutrition-FAO

Chapter 6 – Safety and quality 267
Labelling of milk and dairy products should be clear, informative and include
food-safety messages when required.
6.7.2 Prevention/control
Food-safety hazards can be introduced to milk and dairy products at various points
of the food chain. To minimize the health risks of milk and dairy products at the
point of consumption, all food-chain operators, including the dairy farmer, processor,
distributor, retailer and consumer, need to take necessary actions to maintain
food-safety.
Several factors have a bearing on food-safety risks of milk and dairy products,
including farm practices, the initial quality of the raw milk, the type of product (e.g.
liquid milk versus cheese or ice cream), processing technology, processing and storage
conditions and availability of facilities, hygiene practices, the level of sophistication/maturity
of the dairy industry and prevailing local socio-economic conditions.
A comprehensive risk-based preventive approach is required, from farm level
(animal feed, milking and milk storage), through to processing, marketing and
consumption, identifying those points where control measures are likely to have the
greatest impact on protecting the consumer.
Vigilance and monitoring by risk managers are required to ensure effective
controls and conditions for safe production and storage of milk and dairy products.
These need to be specific to the product and production environment.
While the causes of food-safety risks in the milk chain are similar everywhere,
the actual causes do vary between developed and developing/transition countries.
For example, the transmission of brucellosis and tuberculosis can be common in
countries where control of animal diseases is poor and milk pasteurization or an
equivalent is not practised or is poorly implemented.
Food-preservation practices need to be effective as well as appropriate to the
local setting. For example, where pasteurization is not feasible, LP may be used in
some countries.
Governments have a key role to play in engaging with all stakeholders to establish
national controls and standards, including inspection and surveillance to ensure
that the private sector is providing safe product and guidance for the public sector.
6.7.3 International guidance/controls
The international Codex Alimentarius standards are a reference for quality parameters
and safety requirements, including hygiene practices to be in place along the
commodity chain. Food-chain operators are encouraged to base their controls on
these standards.
Disclosure statement
The author declares that no financial or other conflict of interest exists in relation
to the content of the chapter.