The initiative was led by the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy, an organization founded by dairy farmers in 2008 to convene the entire industry on common goals and opportunities.

“This is an important document for the industry that could not have come to life without the collaboration and leadership of several dairy industry food safety experts,” says David Kedzierski, vice president, food safety and regulatory affairs for Agri-Mark, Inc./Cabot Creamery.

The guidance focuses on best practices for the separation of raw and ready-to-eat products, good manufacturing practices, sanitary facility and equipment design, principles of cleaning, and sanitation and environmental monitoring programs.

The guide includes easy-to-use checklists and is designed to be a one-stop reference document that the dairy industry can use to improve existing food safety programs to ensure adequate control of environmental pathogens.

Copies can be downloaded at USDairy.com/foodsafety for free.