The key to safe products with desirable a shelf life often comes down to the level of sanitation within the processing plant. An elevated level of sanitation equals wholesome products meeting customers’ wants and needs. Poor sanitation equals unhappy customers and loss of sales.
When I first started working in a dairy plant, Richard Nixon was president and it cost me 36 cents per gallon to put gasoline in my car. We cleaned the dairy using flake caustic soda and sanitized with hot water or chlorine. A 14-day shelf life was considered excellent for fluid milk. My, how things have changed.