Milk safety

Thousands have gotten sick from tainted milk powder in China. How did this happen? Here's a quote from China's Agricultural Minister:

Sun singled out local "milk stations," which collect fresh milk from farmers and sell it on. Their operators have been blamed for adding nitrogen-rich melamine to sub-standard or watered-down milk, fooling quality checks measuring protein, also rich in nitrogen. Many were unregistered and unregulated, he said. (credit The Washington Post)

"Unregistered" and "unregulated" are two words that simply don't apply to the American dairy industry. Each of our nation's dairy farms must be registered and permitted by their state's health department in order to sell milk and are subject to regular on-farm inspections by local, state, and federal health officials. Milk samples are collected from every load of milk shipped from every farm in America and are tested for quality and safety before the milk is pumped off of the milk truck and into the processing plant. From that point on, there are several more inspections and quality control tests that milk and dairy products go through before they arrive at the grocery store and ultimately into your home.

So, you can drink your milk and eat your cheese with confidence knowing that the American dairy farmer, the American dairy industry, and Uncle Sam are all working together to provide you with a safe, nutritious, delicious product.