Author Topic: Buying direct from dairy - legal for commercial kitchen if cheese pasteurized?  (Read 1792 times)

ephilbrick

  • Guest
I am in Massachusetts and have a commercial kitchen.  I want to buy, and (cow) dairy farmer wants to sell, raw milk to me to make cheese.  He currently sells to Aramark (large milk processor).  He doesn't have a license to sell raw milk, but does he need one if he sells to a commercial kitchen that will be cooking/pasteurizing his milk in cheese?  Can't get anyone at DAR or any govt dairy person to call me back.  Thank you for any help!!  (What if he sells his herd to me, can I sell cheese made with my own herd?)

Sailor Con Queso

  • Guest
It is not legal to make any cheese for sale in a commercial kitchen. You have to have a dedicated facility that is licensed for cheese making.

jwalker

  • Guest
If he is already selling to a large processor , then chances are , he has a license to sell raw milk as a licensed dairy farm , as far as I know , it's the processors who pasteurize milk not the producers.

Not sure about laws in your state , but where I am , you must be a licensed buyer to buy from a producer , you must be licensed by the milk marketing board and have an established quota for buying raw milk.

Making and selling cheese is pretty much strictly regulated in any part of north America.

bobbymac29649

  • Guest
Stop me if I'm out of line here but I can have a slew of mental problems and can buy any number of firearms and do whatever I want with them.  However, I can't buy a few gallons of milk from a local farmer and make some cheese to sell at the farmer's market?  Is it just me or is the dairy thing way over regulated?  I'm all for safety and I'm not anti-gun but it just sounds silly. :o

Offline steffb503

  • Catskill Mts, NY State, USA
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It is silly but as far food goes, raw milk has the potential to carry with it some very nasty stuff.
Things  can go down hill very fast if not handled properly.