The Food Safety Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) has issued standard operating procedures (SOPs) for primary milk producers, including small dairy units not part of dairy cooperative societies. The move is aimed at curbing milk contamination and adulteration.
The SOPs cover sanitary and hygiene requirements, environmental management, milk production processes and food safety measures like handling, storage and transportation of milk.
The new rules will come into force 60 days after feedback from stakeholders, from the date of notification, October 3.
Primary milk production, as per these SOPs, refers to practices where milking machines are not normally used and raw milk is either unchilled at the producer’s level or transported in cans directly to consumers.
The FSSAI’s move comes amid rising cases of milk and its products’ adulteration.
Hygiene protocols
The SOPs issued by FSSAI detail protocols like clean, well-ventilated cow sheds, proper housing and manure disposal systems and adequate water and feed for dairy animals.
They also require following local authorities’ guidelines for environmental management of dairy farms.
The draft notification also requires milking areas to be free from “undesirable animals” like pigs and poultry which could contaminate milk.
It also bans forceful milking with “inhumane practices” like oxytocin.
Animal health
The FSSAI’s notification also stresses on animal health, saying milk should be sourced from animals free from systemic diseases and bacterial infections.
It mentions specific diseases such as tuberculosis, salmonellosis, anthrax and viral infections like vaccinia that can be transmitted to humans through milk.
The guidelines further state that milk should be drawn only from animals showing no visible signs of poor health or infections of the genital tract, enteritis with diarrhea and fever or recognizable inflammation of the udder.
Distribution standards
According to the FSSAI’s new SOPs, milk should be distributed to consumers within 3-4 hours of milking.
If not, the milk must be stored in suitable refrigeration at 4-6 °C or taken to a processing facility within four hours of milking.
These measures will ensure that the milk remains fresh and safe for consumption, further enhancing food safety standards in India’s dairy industry.