Keeping dairy products safe for New Yorkers


Story and photos By DEBORAH A. MILES Most of us know dairy products are


routinely tested to ensure quality. But how the products get from the


state’s 5,200 dairy farms to the test labs is another facet of quality assurance, due to behind-the-scenes work performed by PEF members. Christina Angell is one of 34 dairy


production specialists in New York. She makes certain all the dairy products she gathers are safe for consumption, by regulating everything from the cow to when the products reach the consumer. Angell has worked for the state


Department of Agriculture and Markets for 11 years. She oversees producers of cheese, milk, ice cream and yogurt in 14 establishments in Washington, Saratoga and Rensselaer counties, and 12 commercial labs such as the Battenkill Valley Creamery, a fluid milk producer. “A lot of people don’t realize the job we


do or what it entails,” Angell said. “We are here to make a safer product. I don’t see many bad samples of anything that may be a real health concern. Once in a great while, we will find something. But most places are diligent, and will pull the product before having gone public, if we suspect anything. We have a good working relationship with people in the industry.”


Inside Stewart’s One working relationship is at


Stewart’s, the chain of convenience stores found in 30 New York state counties and in Vermont. On a late September


day, Angell pulls up to the Stewart’s processing plant near Saratoga Springs, removes two coolers from her car, and puts on a white lab coat. She is greeted by Brett Abbey, the plant’s quality control manager. “Stewart’s has one large plant for the


CHECKING IT OUT—ChristinaAngell, a dairy product specialist, adjusts the freezer control panel where ice creamis packaged at the Stewart’s plant near Saratoga Springs.


state. It fills 5-and-a-half acres. Dairy products and some prepared foods are made here,” Abbey said. While walking through the plant


among dozens of rows and ceiling- high stacks of plastic containers, boxes and product ingredients, Angell talks about the roughly 35 farms that ship milk to the plant, and how they are inspected. “It’s a thorough process with


attention to sanitation and getting samples for various tests such as bacterial counts and drug residues,” she said. Angell and Abbey stop as they come to a


set of large stainless steel doors. There is a dispenser filled with hair and beard nets, a must wear for


anyone entering the processing area. Behind the doors, a pool of white foam, foot sanitizer, carpets the entrance way. Angell walks through tunnels of red-


plastic bins filled with a variety of products ranging from skim milk to eggnog. She randomly selects 14 different products. They pass through another area where the deafening, synchronized clang of an assembly line is heard, and where workers in white coats and hair nets are filling ice cream cartons. Next, they walk through a 25-below zero ‘hardening room,’ then to another bone-chilling area to get more samples. The samples are taken to a sterile lab,


where Angell pours each one into a vial, codes it, and places it in the coolers which she takes to Albany for testing. “I’m here every 90 days for an


CODING SAMPLES—Angell records the codes fromproduct containers before the samples are taken to the test lab in Albany.


Page 16—The Communicator November 2012


inspection,” Angell said. “We take ice cream samples four times a year. For milk control, 12,000 samples are tested annually, and I take about 650 of those.”


Federal certification In June, Angell spent two days


with an inspector from the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) for her role in federal inspections. “I prepared a lengthy report and each individual item was reviewed. It’s a long process and very


thorough. The FDA wants to make sure we are consistent across the country, just as we make certain we are consistent across the state,” Angell


said. Sometimes, samples are spiked with


penicillin, raw milk, bacteria or nothing at all. The department sells them to six participating states to analyze, as a measure to ensure accurate and uniform test results around the country. “We even inspect the Fage yogurt plant


in Athens, Greece because that company exports their product to New York. They also must meet our federal regulations,” she said.


Staffing Issues Angell’s workload has increased 30


percent since she started in 2001. The number of dairy product specialists in New York has dropped from 49 to 34 during the last decade. PEF leaders say the state must address


short staffing issues at all agencies where members have increased workloads, to ensure the level of quality remains high to protect New Yorkers. “We don’t use consultants,” Angell said.


“Everything is done with all our own people at our own food lab. We are all dedicated to ensuring dairy products are safe for New Yorkers and their families.”


PEF Information Line: 1-800-553-2445


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32