IDF Launches New Milk Supplier Guidelines

BRUSSELSThe International Dairy Federation (IDF) released its Integrated Supply Chain Management" bulletin that provides new guidelines on the integrity of suppliers milk and tools, and procedures and methods can be used to counteract systematic and/or large scale adulteration of suppliers´ milk.

IDF said the new milk supply guidelines, which were initiated in response to the Chinese melamine crisis in 2008, follow a rigorous and science-based approach and will reinforce consumer confidence in the milk industrys ability to guarantee safe and nutritious products. The scandal sickened more than 300,000 people and killed at least six children. It bankrupted Sanlu, Chinas largest dairy company, and caused worldwide recalls of products that used the tainted dairy ingredients. It also resulted in the execution of two top-level Chinese food-industry executives who were implicated.

Claus Heggum, leader of the Task Force in charge of the publication said: After the melamine crisis in 2008, IDF launched two initiatives in parallel. The first one directly addressed the immediate concern regarding the development of an International Standard for the Determination of melamine and cyanuric acid in milk, milk products and infant formula. The second one aimed at anticipating other actions that could compromise the integrity of milk in the supply chain in the future, with the development of these guidelines. A specific Task Force was quickly set up, gathering experts from the whole dairy chain. These guidelines, which fit into IDF principles for integrated chain management for food safety, are partly illustrated by a paper on Fourier Transform Infrared technology for routine milk screening, identified as one of the measure to prevent possible adulteration of milk."

In March, The Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) endorsed testing guidelines developed by the IDF and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for determining the melamine and cyanuric acid content of milk, milk products and infant formula.