Labeling

The following section on labeling is a quote from the 2019 PMO starting on page 19. For more general labeling requirements refer to the Consumer Protection Section.

SECTION 4. LABELING

All bottles, containers and packages containing milk or milk products defined in Section 1 of this Ordinance shall be labeled in accordance with the applicable requirements of the FFD&CA, the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act (NLEA) of 1990, and regulations developed there under, the CFR, and in addition, shall comply with applicable requirements of this Section as follows:

All bottles, containers and packages containing milk or milk products, except milk tank trucks, storage tanks and cans of raw milk from individual dairy farms, shall be conspicuously marked with:

1. The identity of the milk plant where pasteurized, ultra-pasteurized, aseptically processed and packaged, condensed and/or dried.
2. The words "keep refrigerated after opening" in the case of aseptically processed and packaged milk and milk products.
3. The common name of the hooved mammal producing the milk shall precede the name of the milk or milk product when the product is or is made from other than cattle's milk. As an example, "Goat", "Sheep", "Water Buffalo", or "Other Hooved Mammal" milk or milk products respectively. (Refer to the NOTE: on page 32.)
4. The words "Grade "A"" on the exterior surface. Acceptable locations shall include the principal display panel, the secondary or informational panel, or the cap/cover.
5. The word "reconstituted" or "recombined" if the product is made by reconstitution or recombination.
6. In the case of condensed or dry milk products the following shall also apply:
a. The identity of the Regulatory Agency issuing such permit; and if distributed by another party, the name and address of the distributor shall be shown by a statement, such as "Distributed by".
b. A code or lot number identifying the contents with a specific date, run, or batch of the product, and the quantity of the contents of the container.

All vehicles and milk tank trucks containing milk or milk products shall be legibly marked with the name and address of the milk plant or hauler in possession of the contents.
Milk tank trucks transporting raw, heat-treated or pasteurized milk and milk products to a milk plant from another milk plant, receiving station or transfer station are required to be marked with the name and address of the milk plant or hauler and shall be sealed; in addition, for each such shipment, a shipping statement shall be prepared containing at least the following information:

1. Shipper’s name, address and permit number. Each milk tank truck load of milk shall include the IMS Bulk Tank Unit (BTU) identification number(s) or the IMS Listed Milk Plant Number, for farm groups listed with a milk plant, on the farm weight ticket or manifest;
2. Permit identification of the hauler, if not an employee of the shipper;
3. Point of origin of shipment;
4. Milk tank truck identification number;
5. Name of product;
6. Weight of product;
7. Temperature of product when loaded;
8. Date of shipment;
9. Name of supervising Regulatory Agency at the point of origin of shipment;
10. Whether the contents are raw, pasteurized, or in the case of cream, lowfat or skim milk, whether it has been heat-treated;
11. Seal number on inlet, outlet, wash connections and vents; and
12. Grade of product.

All cans of raw milk from individual dairy farms shall be identified by the name or number of the individual milk producer.

Each milk tank truck containing milk shall be accompanied by documentation, weigh ticket or manifest, which shall include the IMS BTU Identification Number(s) or the IMS Listed Milk Plant Number, for farm groups listed with a milk plant.

rBST Labeling

There are specific rules that must be followed if a company wishes to make claims around the use of rBST. The basic premise is that the public has the right to know if rBST is in their food and any claims need to be accurate. Because rBST is a legal product the labeling is done on products that are made from milk produced by cattle that have not been treated with rBST. The rules specify an affidavit-based program to assure the integrity of any labeling the rules can be downloaded by clicking here.