Grade A milk that consistently shows bacteria counts in excess of the legally acceptable maximum should be:

• A. Degraded for use in manufactured milk products
• B. Rerouted to another area of the state
• C. Condemned at the point of production
• D. Pasteurized to reduce the bacteria count below the legal maximum

Answer: (A)

High bacterial counts indicate milk can’t meet Grade A standards for fluid consumption, so it’s downgraded rather than sold as drinkable milk. The appropriate path is to degrade it for use in manufactured dairy products, where the milk is further processed (and typically pasteurized again) to make products like cheese, butter, evaporated milk, or dried milk. This salvages the milk value while ensuring safety for consumer products.

Downgrading to manufactured products reflects the fact that while the milk isn’t suitable as beverage milk, it can still be processed into safe, usable dairy items. Rerouting to another area doesn’t fix the quality issue, condemning at production is unnecessarily strict if salvage is possible, and simply pasteurizing to meet the limit ignores the product’s grading status and downstream use.