Few products are as thoroughly inspected, tested, documented and verified as milk and dairy products. Milk is regulated from the farm to the consumer. Milk regulations are uniformly applied from state to state under what is known as the Interstate Milk Shippers Agreement. Individual states have the primary regulatory authority and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has oversight over these regulations.

Occasionally, a consumer may purchase milk or dairy products that are spoiled or have other quality issues about which the consumer has questions. The Dairy Inspection program may be able to answer these questions.
If you have a question for the Dairy Inspection program, it helps if you have the following information when you contact us: the product name, brand name and size of the container

• the sell-by or use-by date on product the container
• the name or the plant code number that shows where the product was packaged (it usually is imprinted or stamped near the top of the container)
• the retail store where the product was purchased

You can reach us by telephone at 785-564-6700, or by email at kda.dairy@ks.gov.

For general information about how secure milk is while it is being transported, see Milk: Wholesome and Safe.

For practical food safety information for consumers, we recommend the Kitchen Companion, Your Safe Food Handbook.

Raw Milk

Many consumers have questions about consuming raw (unpasteurized) milk. In Kansas, dairies may only sell raw milk on the farm. The transaction must be on the farm and it must be between the dairyman and the consumer. The milk container must be labeled as "raw" or "unpasteurized-ungraded" milk.

The Kansas Department of Agriculture advises consumers to not consume raw milk and dairy products because they may contain pathogenic bacteria that can make them sick.

As of Nov. 5, 2019, KDA will no longer restrict advertising of raw milk to on-farm advertising. The consent judgment regarding the enforcement of this ban can be read here: Raw Milk Consent Judgment.

More information about raw milk is available from:

• FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition
• Centers for Disease Control
• American Academy of Pediatrics

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