The Food and Drug Administration has just released the electronic version of the 2011 Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO), which contains the changes from the April 2011 National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments (NCIMS) Conference. IDFA and Milk Industry Foundation members successfully advocated for several changes that will directly affect state inspection of Grade A dairy plants and farms and provide more flexibility for dairy processors.

One significant accomplishment codifies the allowance of higher packaging temperatures and longer cooling times for cottage cheese with specific added preservatives and microbial inhibitors. IDFA, with the assistance of its cottage cheese members and dairy ingredient companies, has been working since 2005 to provide FDA with the necessary scientific data from product challenge studies to demonstrate the safety of cultured dairy products at higher filling temperatures.

Download the PMO here. FDA will require implementation of these changes by October 2012, unless other dates are specifically noted.

NCIMS is a non-profit organization whose goal is to "Assure the Safest Possible Milk Supply for All the People." The Conference is made up of members representing the entire dairy industry – dairy farmers, processing plant personnel, farm and plant inspectors, people who develop and enforce inspection regulations, academic researchers, advisers and consumers.

The 2011 NCIMS Conference was held April 28- May 4 in Baltimore, Md. The Conference attendees considered 91 proposals, with state delegates passing 57, including one from the Milk Industry Foundation (MIF) and six that were authored by MIF members. For details, read "IDFA Notes Good Progress on Priority Issues at NCIMS Conference," May 6, 2011.

The conference convenes every other year. The next meeting will be held in 2013.

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