The Food and Drug Administration released last week the electronic version of the 2013 Grade “A” Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO), which contains the changes made last April during the National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments (NCIMS) conference.

FDA also issued two additional updated NCIMS documents, the “2013 Revision of the Procedures Governing the Cooperative State-Public Health Service/Food and Drug Administration Program of the National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments” and the “2013 Revision of the Methods of Making Sanitation Ratings of Milk Shippers (MMSR).” A detailed FDA memorandum (IMS-a-49) summarizing the actions of the Conference and the PMO changes is also available.

IDFA and Milk Industry Foundation members successfully advocated for updates that enhance food safety, encourage trade and increase processor flexibility. FDA will require implementation of these changes by November 2014, unless other dates are specifically noted.

Two updates are particularly important to IDFA members. The International Certification Program, which ran successfully for six years as a pilot program, has become an official part of the PMO. The certification program allows international dairy processing companies to use third-party inspectors to implement the regulations of the PMO for export of Grade “A” dairy products to the United States. In addition, FDA agreed to modify the regulations for aseptic Grade “A” milk and milk products to include low-acid milk and milk products that are retorted, or sterilized, after packaging.

IDFA also requested a clarification on the information that companies must provide to affirm that a non-Grade “A” dairy ingredient meets the criteria of use “for a functional or technical effect” in Grade “A” milk and milk products. 

Download the documents here.

The PMO incorporates provisions governing the processing, packaging and sale of Grade “A” milk and milk products, including yogurt, fermented milk products, whey, whey products and condensed and dry milk products. The NCIMS, in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding with FDA, recommends changes and modifications to the PMO at its biennial conferences.

The 2013 NCIMS Conference was held April 19-24 in Indianapolis. The next meeting will be held in 2015.

Members with questions may contact John Allan, IDFA vice president of regulatory affairs and international standards, at jallan@idfa.org, or Cary Frye, IDFA vice president of regulatory and scientific affairs, at cfrye@idfa.org.