6 P.D. 123 



Survey Shows Conditions of Sanitation where Milk is Produced 



Co-operating with the United States PubHc Health Service, the State Depart- 

 ment of PubHc Health and local milk inspectors, a survey of milk sanitation condi- 

 tions was made. 



Twenty cities and towns were selected in twenty widely separated sections 

 and were, as near as possible, divided into different population groups as follows : 



Towns under 5,000 population. 

 Towns or cities from 5,000 to 25,000. 

 Cities from 25,000 to 50,000. 

 Cities over 50,000, including Boston. 



An outstanding feature of the survey was the overlapping of milk supplies 

 between cities and the difficulty of segregating the supply of each municipality in 

 order to present a fair picture of conditions. Careful selection and attention to 

 detail made this segregation possible. In surveying the City of Boston it was 

 necessary to visit producing dairies in the states of Maine, New Hampshire and 

 Vermont. Vermont dairies supplying the cities of Worcester, Springfield, Fitch- 

 burg and Lexington were also visited. 



The survey was begun on April 10 and completed on July 7, 1930. During that 

 time there were visited and graded dairies and milk plants divided into the follow- 

 ing groups: 



Retail raw milk dairies .... 242 

 Raw to plant dairies .... 767 



Pasteurizing plants . . . . 296 



Total inspections 



. 1,305 



These inspections were accomplished in sixty-three working days and deducting 

 nine days consumed in driving, during which no inspections were made, gives an 

 average of 20.71 inspections per actual working day. 



In making the survey the actual inspections were made by a representative of 

 the United States Public Health Service using the grade sheets of the Standard 

 Milk Ordinance with the Standard Milk Control Code as the basis for interpretation 

 and application of the various items on the grade .sheets. The method employed 

 offers the only method available in the United States today for a uniform study 

 of milk sanitation conditions. Many items on both the raw milk and pasteurizing 

 plant grade sheet.s were foimd to be uniformly violated, as follows: 



Rmv Milk Dairies 

 Tuberculin testing of cattle 

 Lighting and ventilation 

 Floor construction and cleanliness 

 Manure disposal 

 AValls and ceilings 

 Screening and flies 

 Construction of utensils 



(Open-top pails are common) 

 Disinfection and storage of utensils 

 Proper washing of udders 

 Hands disinfected 

 Clean clothing 



Pasteurization Plants 

 Screening 

 Protection from contamination and 



flies 

 Toilet facilities 

 Washing facilities (hands) 

 Disinfection of utensils 

 Proper thermometers 

 Proper thermometer charts 

 Inlet and outlet valves 

 Air heating and agitation 

 Vat covers 

 Health certificate 

 Proper bottling equipment 



The survej^ has furnished us with the first accurate, dependable picture of milk 

 sanitation conditions on farms and in plants ever obtained for the Commonwealth. 

 Using the results of this survey as a foundation or starting point, it will be possible 

 to show at any time the improvement made in the milk supj)ly of any city or town. 

 The survey was, of course, made under much more exacting requirements than are 

 now in force in the Commonwealth and naturally it was to be expected that it 

 would show defects in the milk supplies of the cities visited. 



