Hall, Carl W. (Engineering Information Services). Milk from cows is a significant food source throughout the world. Milk provides food components to meet important nutritional needs of the human body. Vitamins, minerals, sugar, fat, and protein are contained in milk. The amount of these components in milk varies with the breed of animal, the particular animal, and with other species that produce milk. As a human food, care must be taken in the production and processing of milk and milk products to maintain quality. Contamination must be avoided. Appropriate temperature control must be provided to hold raw milk, process milk into beverage, process milk into its many products, and deliver quality products to the consumer. Changing consumer habits influence the kind and amount of products manufactured. Appropriate quality determinations and controls must be provided throughout the process to assure that safe, nutritious products are delivered to the consumer on an economical basis. Vol. 16, pp. 700–746, 53 refs. to June 1993.