🚚 Distribution

Milk distribution is the route of packaged milk from the plant through a warehouse and a distribution center to the store. Cold is the key: pasteurized milk lasts 7–10 days at 5–7 °C, ESL milk stays at no more than 8 °C for up to a few weeks, and sealed ultra-pasteurized milk can travel without refrigeration.

The rules here are simple. Under the Codex Alimentarius, the producer sets the shelf life and storage conditions, and distributors, carriers and sellers need to follow them. EU Regulation 852/2004 requires transport to hold a suitable temperature and allow it to be monitored, and the cold chain should stay unbroken, apart from short periods that pose no health risk. The compartment is chilled before loading and kept cold even during unloading.

Raw milk should reach the plant at no more than 10 °C. For ESL milk, according to Tetra Pak, even a small rise above the 8 °C threshold can trigger bacterial multiplication, and a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. For ESL milk made with extra filtration, Tetra Pak gives a shelf life of 2–4 weeks. Ultra-pasteurized product in sealed packaging is commercially sterile, so it is practical to ship over long distances.

Why it matters to you. The date on the carton only holds at the right temperature: if the milk sat in the warmth for a long time, it may spoil sooner. Buy chilled items last, take them straight home and put them in the fridge right away. Look for the storage conditions on the label.