Through their pride and passion, Canadian dairy farmers produce high-quality, nutritious Canadian milk in accordance with some of the most stringent standards in the world. The proAction program builds on robust federal and provincial regulations, allowing consumers to be confident that every drop of milk they enjoy is safe, fresh, and delicious.

Download the Milk Quality Fact Sheet

Sampling and Monitoring Milk Quality

All milk produced on Canadian farms is inspected and sampled before it is picked up at the farm. Milk held in both farm tanks and milk trucks is sampled for quality.

Dairy farmers are licensed and inspected by their provincial regulatory authorities, and monitor bacteria level, fat, protein, and other quality criteria regularly.

All milk truck drivers are trained experts in grading milk – they inspect, measure, and take samples of milk before loading it on the truck.

All Canadian milk is tested at processing plants and labs to ensure the milk meets quality and food safety standards.

The use of artificial growth hormones is banned in Canada, so consumers can be confident that milk produced under proAction is rBST-free.

Fresh and Delicious

Milk is picked up at the farm every day or every second day, so consumers can enjoy the freshest, best-tasting milk and dairy products.

Ensuring the Finest High-Quality Milk

The Canadian dairy sector has established a national standard for somatic cell counts (SCC) per millilitre of raw milk. A low SCC correlates to improved quality and shelf life of pasteurized fluid milk.

The dairy sector has set a high bar for somatic cell counts. In 2012, DFC worked collaboratively with provincial regulators to establish a new national standard of 400,000 cells/ml and provincial regulatory authorities all changed their regulations to match. From January to June 2021, all of the provincial average SCC results reported exceeded this target considerably, coming in under 200,000 cells/ml.