Keep in mind these best practices for the operation:
Floors are concrete or other impervious material, so they are easily cleanable.
Walls are washable and finished light in color.
Doors and windows are tight-fitting and screened when open.
Lighting and ventilation are adequate.
The space is large enough to handle maximum milk production and milk processing.
Product contact areas are accessible for cleaning and inspection.
Hot and cold water are plumbed for handwashing and cleaning.
Remember: Bare or unfinished wood encourages bacteria survival and growth.
| What facilities do I need?
Do I need separate buildings, or can I have one building with separate areas? |
| The recommended best practice is to have facilities for each of the four main functions. See chart below. Ideally, to prevent contamination of your product, there will be four separate and distinct areas. They all can be in one building or separated into individual buildings. The design of your facility can be creative and still meet the recommendations.
There is no one-size-fits-all model. |
| Barn | Where the animals are housed. |
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| Milking Parlor | Where the animals walk in to be milked. |
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| Milk House | Where milking equipment from the parlor is washed, rinsed, sanitized and stored in a clean condition between milking.
This room needs at least a 2-compartment or 3-compartment sink and may house a bulk milk storage (holding) tank, or other milk cooling equipment and cold storage for the milk prior to bottling. |
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| Milk Processing Plant/Room | Where the raw milk is handled for the final time and filled into the finished product container.
Sanitation and good employee practices are of utmost importance in this room. Foot traffic through this area should be limited to the bare minimum that is needed to accomplish the final processing or bottling operation. It is highly recommended that doorways in and out of this room should not lead directly into the milk house, the milking parlor or barn area. A hallway or other closed area that separates these rooms helps minimize the potential for contamination in the processing or bottling area.
Wash facilities for the washing, bottling, and filling equipment, bottles, and a hand-washing sink are usually located in this room, in addition to a cold storage unit or refrigerator for the bottled milk. |
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