First milk quality law in U.S.In 1856, the first milk quality law in the U.S. was signed by the Governor of Massachusetts prohibiting adulteration of milk. An individual had to take a complaint to court. With no official enforcement, the law was ineffective against “swill milk,” the poor, thin output of cows kept in sicky conditions and fed on distillery refuse. Unsafe milk was a public health hazard, sometimes deadly to infants. So the state passed a law on (6 Apr 1859) authorizing cities to appoint their own official Inspector of Milk. He was empowered to enter the premises of handlers of milk, and to take specimens for analysis, the results of which could be evidence used for prosecution. The law set ten dollar fines for selling swill milk. Boston was the first city in the U.S. to appoint a full-time Inspector of Milk, on 10 Aug 1859.«[Image: A New York City inspector at a grocery testing milk with a lactometer, c.1887.] |
