Production and Processing Practices

Good practices are an essential part of a well-run raw milk operation. Poor practices can undermine the safeguards built into a well-designed facility and good equipment. Preventing contamination relies on the procedures you and your employees follow.

While there is no way to guarantee the safety of raw milk, try to identify steps in your process that will help you to produce it as safely as possible. Look at all stages, from milking through processing. Look at the order of how things are done, the route the milk takes and how it is handled, what equipment is used and who does what. Then establish practices and procedures such as the following:

• Restrict traffic through the processing areas.
• Do not work in plant facilities when you are ill, such as with diarrhea, vomiting, or fever.
• Wash your hands twice after using the toilet – once in the restroom, and then again when you return to the processing area.
• Properly use gloves or utensils instead of bare hands when processing.
• Wash, rinse, and sanitize all equipment used for production with appropriate cleaners and sanitizers.

You should identify areas where there is potential for cross-contamination and ways to make the process safer—from production to packaging. Some key requirements for various stages of the process are outlined below.

Milking

To prevent contamination during milking, the animals, equipment, and milking personnel all must be clean.

Be careful, too, with the process of transferring the milk from the animals to any room where it will be cooled and bottled. The separation between these facilities can be breached by dirt/manure on shoes or clothing. Equipment used to transfer the milk must be kept clean as well.

Pre-milking udder preparation is especially important since dirty udders are the most probable source for pathogens to contaminate raw milk. Udder preparation may include:

1. Brushing and cleaning udders; use a clean towel for each animal
2. Pre-dip each teat in an iodine or hydrogen peroxide-based teat dip
3. Wipe off the teat dip
4. Strip each teat and inspect milk for abnormalities
5. Apply milking machine
6. After milking, apply iodine-based post-dip to each teat

Raw Milk – A Quick Guide for Producer-Processors |

Cleanliness and Sanitation

Cleanliness and sanitation are important throughout production and processing.

Properly clean the product-contact surfaces of all containers, equipment, and utensils used in the handling or storage of milk after each use. Milk cannot remain clean and free of contamination if permitted to come into contact with unclean containers, utensils or equipment.

Sanitize all product-contact surfaces before each use. Cleaning alone does not ensure the removal or destruction of all potentially present disease organisms.