Clover - Quality and Safety

YOUR HEALTH - DAIRY PRODUCTS, QUALITY AND SAFETY

How Clover ensures safe, nutritious dairy products of a high quality

Thanks to extremely high quality standards and control procedures, Clover milk and other dairy products are among the best, safest quality foods available in South Africa today. Quality control starts on the farm and continues until the Clover product is purchased and used by the consumer.

Monitoring of incoming raw milk

The milk collected from farms is known as raw milk because it has not yet been processed. Clover regularly monitors the milk received from all its milk producers to ensure that the milk is produced by healthy cows. By regularly meeting with dairy farmers and by performing regular tests on the milk received, problems with raw milk quality can be identified and eliminated.

All incoming milk is tested for safety and quality. If safety standards are not met or if offensive substances such as antibiotics are found, the entire load of contaminated milk is discarded. The farm from which the contaminated milk originates, is identified and immediate steps are taken to prevent further and future contamination. No milk containing offensive substances is used for human consumption. Farmers are paid a premium price for delivering high-quality milk.

Milk processing

By using the latest technology and quality measures during processing, Clover ensures that only safe, high-quality products reach its consumers. Unpasteurised milk and dairy products may pose a health risk and are not recommended. All Clover milk is pasteurised using the latest technology and is therefore absolutely safe.

Except for standardisation of the fat content and despite all the processes the milk is subjected to, nothing is added or removed during the processing of milk, ensuring a pure, natural end product. Only vitamin-enriched Clover UHT milk contains added vitamins for that extra health benefit.

All other Clover products containing pasteurised milk or cream, such as cheese, butter, cream, condensed milk and powdered milk, contain only the legally prescribed ingredients characterising that specific product.

Pasteurisation, UHT treatment and sterilisation

Homogenisation

Milk is homogenised to prevent the formation of a cream layer on top of the milk. Homogenisation is the process during which the small fat (cream) globules or droplets are broken up into even smaller globules. This is achieved by forcing the milk through very small openings under high pressure, which distributes the tiny fat globules evenly throughout the milk.

Milk proteins form a thin film around each fat globule, thus preventing the globules from clotting together again. Because the fat globules are stabilised during homogenisation, the tendency to form a cream layer is greatly reduced.

Homogenised milk is whiter in appearance, more viscous, somewhat blander in flavour, and foams more easily than non-homogenised milk.

Legal requirements to ensure safe foods

Legislation with regard to dairy products ensures that the consumer is protected against health hazards. When it comes to safety standards and the application of health legislation, Clover is a leader in the South African dairy industry.

Quality and safety systems (Reference 1)

Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) systems are important controls and standards required by law to help ensure the safety and quality of the milk.

GMP procedures apply to the processing, packaging and storage of milk and milk products, taking into account the most basic principle of hygiene, namely that food must not be contaminated or spoiled during the manufacturing process. Examples include the cleaning and sanitising of the food contact surfaces, good air quality, appropriate employee hygiene and proper maintenance of equipment. (Reference 1,2)

HACCP is the system that identifies, evaluates and controls potential hazards (such as harmful micro-organisms or their toxins) or critical situations (such as post-processing contamination), which are significant for food safety. (Reference 1,2)

The responsibility of the consumer

Dairy products such as fresh milk, fresh cream and cheese that must be kept cooled are accordingly transported to the different retailers in specially designed cooler vehicles to keep their quality and safety. At the retailers it is stored and kept in refrigerators.

Consumers often do not realise that they are also responsible for the quality of milk and other dairy products they buy. According to the US Department of Agriculture, improving food handling practices at home can prevent most food-borne illnesses. Through the proper handling and storing of dairy foods, consumers and retailers play an important role in ensuring dairy quality and safety. In terms of dairy products, consumers can help maintain the quality of dairy and other perishable items by taking the following steps:

Examine containers for damage, leaks or any abnormal appearance that may indicate spoilage when purchasing the product.
Check the expiry date (also indicated as the “sell by”, “use by” and “best before” dates) on the product containers. The “sell by” date refers to how long the product can be for sale on the shelves of the retailer. The “use by” or “expiry” or “best before” date refers to the date up to which the product will maintain its guaranteed quality and/or safety. It is Clover’s policy that the company will only accept liability for the quality and safety of its products for the specified shelf life of each product, provided the product is handled and stored according to the prescribed temperatures and conditions. The expiry date is therefore the consumer’s guarantee that the product is safe and will meet all the quality standards if consumed before this date and within 4 days after opening.
When purchasing groceries, select the cold or refrigerated dairy products last and put them in the shopping bag just before paying for the groceries so that they stay cool longer, especially in hot weather. UHT-treated products need not be refrigerated.
Fresh pasteurised products that are purchased from refrigerators in the shops must be put into the refrigerator at home as soon as possible after purchasing in order to avoid spoilage of the product. The product will spoil if it is not kept refrigerated and is exposed to warm conditions for too long. (Reference 2)

References
1. Government Gazette, RSA. Department of Health. Foodstuffs, Cosmetics and Disinfectants Act. (Act no 54 of 1972), 27 June 2003.

2. U.S. Dairy Council. Digest. Ensuring dairy quality and safety from farm to refrigerator. 73(2):7-12, March/April 2002.