California Milk Standards
California has different bacteriologial and nutritional standards for the milk produced and processed in California. They include:
Bacteriological Standards
|
Standard
|
Federal
|
California
|
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade "A" Raw Milk for Pasteurization |
Bacterial (Standard Plate Count) Limits
|
Not to exceed 100,000 per ml
|
Not to exceed 50,000 per ml
|
|
|
Somatic Cell Count
|
Not to exceed 750,000 per ml
|
Not to exceed 600,000 per ml
|
|
|
Coliform
|
No Standard
|
Not to exceed 750 per ml
|
|
|
Laboratory Pasteurized Count
|
No Standard
|
Not to exceed 750 per ml
|
| Grade "A" Pasteurized Milk | Standard Plate Count | Maximum 20,000 per ml | Maximum 15,000 per ml |
|
|
Coliform | Maximum 10 per ml | Maximum 10 per ml |
Compositional Standards
|
|
Standard
|
Federal
|
California
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade A Pasteurized Milk | Milkfat Minimum | 3.25% | 3.5% |
|
|
Milk Solids-Not-Fat (SNF), minimum | 8.25% | 8.7% |
| Total Milk Solids | No Standard | 12.2% Minimum | |
| Grade A Reduced Fat Milk | Milkfat |
Maximum 2.1% |
Maximum 2.1% |
|
|
SNF, minimum | 8.25% | 10.0% |
| Grade A Lowfat Milk | Milkfat |
Maximum 1.2% |
Maximum 1.1% Minimum 0.9% |
|
|
SNF, minimum | 8.25% | 11.0% |
| Grade A Nonfat Milk | Milkfat, maximum | 0.20% | 0.20% |
|
|
SNF, minimum | 8.25% | 9.0% |
While our standards may be stricter than the federal standards, this isnot meant to imply the federal standards allow for unsafe milk.
Return to Milk and Dairy Food Safety home page
Contact us for more information:
California Department of Food and Agriculture
Animal Health and Food Safety Services, Milk and Dairy Food Safety Branch
1220 N Street, Room A-107
Sacramento, California 95814
Telephone: (916) 654-0773
Fax: (916) 653-7512
or send an email to: Milk and Dairy Food Safety@cdfa.ca.gov