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. Pasteurized to reduce the bacteria count below the legal maximum
• D. Condemned at the point of production

Answer: (A)

When Grade A milk exceeds the legal bacterial limit, it can no longer be sold for direct consumption, but it isn’t necessarily waste. The proper handling is to degrade it for use in manufactured dairy products. This salvage path keeps the milk out of the drinking supply while allowing it to be processed—through pasteurization and other steps—into products like cheese, butter, or evaporated milk. Rerouting to another area doesn’t address the quality issue. Simply pasteurizing to try to bring counts below the limit isn’t how regulatory grading works for raw milk, and condemning it is too harsh when processing can salvage the product.