Section 15. Grade a milk and milk products

Part II. Grade A Milk and Milk Products

A. Grade A milk and milk products regulated under this chapter include:

1. All grade A raw milk or milk products for pasteurization, ultra-pasteurization, aseptic processing and packaging, or retort processed after packaging, and all grade A pasteurized, ultra-pasteurized, aseptically processed and packaged, or retort processed and packaged milk and milk products;

2. All milk and milk products with a standard of identity provided for in 21 CFR Part 131, with the exception of 21 CFR 131.120 sweetened condensed milk;

3. Cottage cheese as defined by 21 CFR 133.128 and dry curd cottage cheese as defined by 21 CFR 131.129;

4. Whey and whey products as defined in 21 CFR 184.1979, 21 CFR 184.1979a, 21 CFR 184.1979b, and 21 CFR 184.1979c; whey product; dry whey product; and grade A condensed and dry whey and whey products;

5. Modified versions of these foods listed in subdivisions 2 and 3 of this subsection, pursuant to 21 CFR 130.10 – Requirements for foods named by use of a nutrient content claim and a standardized term;

6. Milk and milk products as defined in subdivisions 2, 3, 4, and 5 of this subsection, packaged in combination with other food or foods not included in this section that are appropriately labeled with a statement of identity to describe the food in final package form (e.g., "cottage cheese with pineapple" or "fat free milk with plant sterols"); and

7. Products not included in subdivisions 2 through 6 of this subsection shall be grade A milk products if they contain a minimum of (i) 2.0% milk protein as determined by total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (TKN) X 6.38; and (ii) a minimum of 65% by weight milk, milk product, or a combination of milk products.

B. Safe and suitable, as defined in 21 CFR 130.3(d), nongrade A dairy ingredients may be utilized in the production of grade A milk and milk products included under 2VAC5-490-15 A when added to a level needed for a functional or technical effect; limited by good manufacturing practices (GMPs); and are either (i) prior sanctioned or otherwise approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration, (ii) generally recognized as safe, or (iii) an approved food additive listed in the Code of Federal Regulations with the exception that for those grade A milk and milk products for which a federal standard of identity has been established only ingredients provided for under the standard of identity for each grade A milk or milk product may be utilized. Nongrade A dairy ingredients shall not be used to increase the weight or volume of grade A milk or milk products or to displace any grade A dairy ingredients nor shall using nongrade A dairy ingredients to increase the weight or volume of grade A milk or milk products be considered a suitable functional or technical effect.

C. Grade A milk and milk products shall also include those milk and milk products included under 2VAC5-490-15 A and 2VAC5-490-15 B that have been aseptically processed and then packaged.

D. Grade A milk and milk products shall not include:

1. A milk or milk product in which the milkfat of the milk or milk product has been substituted in part or in whole by any other animal or vegetable fat; provided that other fat sources may be included when they are used for purposes currently accepted in any other grade A milk or milk product, such as carriers for vitamins and as an ingredient in emulsifiers and stabilizers;

2. Coffee based products where coffee or water is the primary ingredient as indicated in the ingredient statement;

3. Tea based products where tea or water is the primary ingredient as indicated in the ingredient statement;

4. Dietary products (except as defined in 21 CFR 130.10);

5. Infant formula;

6. Ice cream or other frozen desserts;

7. Butter;

8. Standardized cheese with the exception of cottage cheese as defined under 21 CFR 133.128 and dry curd cottage cheese as defined under 21 CFR 131.129 and nonstandardized cheese; or

9. Puddings.

E. Milk and milk products that have been retort processed after packaging or that have been concentrated (condensed) or dried shall conform to the requirements of 2VAC5-490-15 A and 2VAC5-490-15 B if they are utilized as an ingredient in any grade A milk or milk product, or if they are labeled as grade A under 2VAC5-490-15 A 5.

F. Powdered dairy blends may be labeled grade A and used as ingredients in grade A milk and milk products, such as cottage cheese dressing mixes or starter media for cultures used to produce various grade A cultured milk and milk products, if they meet the requirements of this chapter. If powdered dairy blends are used as an ingredient in grade A milk and milk products, blends of dairy powders must be blended under conditions that meet all applicable grade A powdered dairy blends requirements. Grade A powder blends must be made from grade A powdered milk and milk products, except that small amounts of functional ingredients not to exceed 10% by weight of the finished blend that are not grade A are allowed in grade A blends when the finished ingredient is not available in grade A form (e.g., sodium caseinate).

G. Grade A milk and milk products include the following: acidified lowfat milk, acidified nonfat milk, acidified milk, acidified milk product, acidified reduced fat milk, acidified skim milk, acidified sour cream, acidified sour half-and-half, aseptically processed milk, aseptically processed milk product, boiled custard, buttermilk, coffee cream, concentrated milk, concentrated milk product, condensed buttermilk, cottage cheese, cottage cheese dry curd, cream, cultured half-and-half, cultured milk, cultured lowfat milk, cultured nonfat milk, cultured reduced fat milk, cultured skim milk, cultured sour cream, cultured sour half-and-half, dry buttermilk, dry buttermilk product, dry cream, dry curd cottage cheese, dry whole milk, eggnog, eggnog-flavored milk, flavored milk, flavored milk product, fortified milk, fortified milk product, frozen milk concentrate, goat milk, half-and-half, heavy cream, heavy whipping cream, lactose-reduced lowfat milk, lactose-reduced nonfat milk, lactose-reduced milk, lactose-reduced reduced fat milk, lactose-reduced skim milk, light cream, light whipping cream, lowfat cottage cheese, lowfat dry milk, lowfat milk, lowfat yogurt, low-sodium lowfat milk, low-sodium nonfat milk, low-sodium milk, low-sodium reduced fat milk, low-sodium skim milk, milk, nonfat milk, nonfat dry milk, nonfat dry milk fortified with vitamins A and D, nonfat yogurt, recombined milk, recombined milk product, reconstituted milk, reconstituted milk product, reduced lactose whey, reduced fat milk, reduced minerals whey, sheep milk, skim milk, sour cream, sour half-and-half, table cream, vitamin A milk, vitamin A milk product, vitamin D milk, vitamin D milk product, whipped cream, whipped light cream, whipping cream, and yogurt.

Historical Notes

Derived from Volume 23, Issue 20, eff. May 23, 2007; amended, Volume 27, Issue 09, eff. December 10, 2010; Volume 31, Issue 12, eff. January 21, 2015.

Statutory Authority

§ 3.2-5206 of the Code of Virginia.