Keeping Your Milk Safe From the Grass to the Glass

A look at what makes your milk and dairy safe, and the 100-year history behind it.

If you look back 100 years, milk was second only to water as a vehicle for transmitting disease, as noted in a 1924 U.S. Public Health Service article.

Back then, people were getting sick or dying from typhoid fever, scarlet fever, tuberculosis, and other illnesses linked to harmful bacteria in milk.

Today it’s a much different story because of pasteurization and other safety measures. For every 2 billion servings of pasteurized milk or milk products consumed in the U.S., only about one person gets sick, according to a U.S. Food and Drug Administration evaluationExternal Link Disclaimer.

“The improvement in milk safety is an amazing public health accomplishment,” said Jim Jones, Deputy Commissioner for Human Foods at the FDA.

Key to the success is the Standard Milk Ordinance, developed by the U.S. Public Health Service in 1924. “The ordinance laid the foundation for the quality and safety standards we use today to make sure our milk and dairy products are safe,” said Jones.