Sampling and Testing of Dairy Products

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) samples and tests a variety of domestic and imported food products to:

• Verify industry compliance
• Gather baseline information and perform assessments
• Set standards and guidelines
• Maintain consumer’s confidence in the safety of the food supply and facilitate market access

Sampling of dairy products is performed by a CFIA inspector as part of the Agency’s monitoring and compliance activities. The CFIA also conducts directed sampling (e.g. commodity types or geographical areas) to verify any suspected problems of potential health risk and/or economic fraud. The Food and Drugs Act gives the authority to CFIA inspectors to take samples at any time, without charge. An official receipt for samples taken can be requested by the manufacturer, importer or producer.

Sampling and testing of dairy products is done under 3 programs:

• National Chemical Residue Monitoring Program (NCRMP)
• National Microbiological Monitoring Program (NMMP)^{Footnote 1}
• National Additive, Compositional and Adulteration Sampling Program (NACASP)

Sample selection and sample size vary depending on the product, the analysis required and the lab methodology. The following table shows examples of typical sampling done in dairy products.

	Standard Tests	Number of Sub-Samples	Minimum Sample Sizes *per sub-sample
NCRMP	Single and multi-residue methods for pesticides, veterinary drugs, metals, mycotoxins and contaminants	Up to 5 for each food sample 3 for raw milk	500 g for cheese and powders 500 ml* for raw milk
NMMP	Analytical methods may include: commercial sterility and container integrity analyses, tests for indicator organisms and pathogenic organisms, phosphatase test, environmental sampling and testing	Up to 5 for each food sample Up to 25 for powders	200 g* for butter, cheese and frozen products 100 g* for powders 200 ml* for milk
NACASP	Analytical methods may include: standard chemical composition, fat and moisture, protein, total solids, vitamins, calcium, pH, water activity, moisture content, phosphates and total salts, fibre, adulteration, additives	Up to 5 for each food sample	454 g* for butter 500 g for cheese and frozen products 100 g* for powders 1 L* for milk (vitamins) 250 ml* for milk (other)

The CFIA takes appropriate actions when dairy products do not meet Canadian standards. Actions may include, but are not limited to, additional inspections, further directed sampling, or product seizure and/or recall.

For additional information, contact your nearest CFIA office.