Got milk? US Army refines its pasteurization power

Thirteen U.S. Army Veterinary Corps officers milked a trip to Denmark last month, completing Europe Dairy Pasteurization Audit Training in the seaport city of Kolding.

The service said the course — which included on-site field evaluations at eight Danish dairy facilities currently approved for U.S. military procurement — aimed to ensure military members and their families overseas receive dairy that meets or exceeds U.S. standards.

In the U.S., commercial milk must be processed according to the Food and Drug Administration’s Pasteurized Milk Ordinance. Because commercial pasteurization methods are “udderly” different across the world, the course gives officers the skills to evaluate pasteurization technology in different regions, the Army said in a Monday release. The course has been taught and revised since 2004.

Military auditors from around the world, including Public Health Command Pacific, Area Support Group Kuwait and Public Multinational Force and Observers Egypt, trained to improve their pasteurization skills. Public Health Command Europe is unique, the service said, because it offers military inspectors the chance to see more than 65 pasteurizer setups.

During the course, led by Chief Warrant Officer 4 Clayton Davenport, the command food safety officer for Public Health Command Europe, the Army said officers gained realistic experience assessing equipment in operation.

“The primary training objective was to provide progressive and sequential auditor development training in pasteurizer operations that enhances understanding of the public health controls of various pasteurizers,” Davenport said in the release. “Maintaining specialized auditing capabilities remains essential to force health protection, particularly amid budgetary pressures.”

Eve Sampson is a reporter and former Army officer. She has covered conflict across the world, writing for The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Associated Press.

上个月，13 名美国陆军兽医兵团军官前往丹麦，在海港城市科灵完成了欧洲乳制品巴氏杀菌审核培训。

该部门表示，该课程（包括在目前已获美国军方采购批准的八家丹麦乳制品厂进行现场评估）旨在确保海外军人及其家属获得符合或超过美国标准的乳制品。

在美国，市售牛奶必须按照美国食品药品监督管理局（FDA）的《巴氏杀菌牛奶条例》进行加工。陆军周一发布的新闻稿称，由于世界各地的商业巴氏杀菌方法“天差地别”，该课程旨在培养军官评估不同地区巴氏杀菌技术的技能。该课程自2004年以来一直在开设和修订。

来自世界各地的军事审计人员，包括太平洋公共卫生司令部、科威特地区支援小组和埃及公共多国部队及观察员，接受了培训以提高巴氏杀菌技能。美国军方表示，欧洲公共卫生司令部独具特色，因为它为军事检查人员提供了参观超过65套巴氏杀菌装置的机会。

陆军表示，在由欧洲公共卫生司令部食品安全官、四级准尉克莱顿·达文波特 (Clayton Davenport) 领导的课程中，军官们获得了评估运行中设备的实际经验。

“此次培训的主要目标是提供循序渐进的巴氏杀菌器操作审核员发展培训，以加深对各种巴氏杀菌器公共卫生控制措施的理解，”达文波特在新闻稿中表示。“保持专业的审核能力对于保障公众健康至关重要，尤其是在预算压力下。”

伊芙·桑普森是一名记者，也是一名前陆军军官。她曾报道过世界各地的冲突，为《纽约时报》、《华盛顿邮报》和美联社撰稿。