IMS
Interstate Milk Shippers · interstate milk shippers
The federal-state program that lists U.S. dairy plants authorized to ship Grade A products across state lines.
The Interstate Milk Shippers (IMS) program lists dairy plants that meet the Grade A Pasteurized Milk Ordinance. Listing is the operating license for interstate Grade A distribution: a plant must hold an IMS rating of 90% or above to remain on the list. Ratings are conducted every 24 months by state IMS-certified raters, with FDA's check-rating program providing federal oversight.
A failed rating typically triggers a multi-week corrective sprint before a re-rating, during which interstate shipment is at risk. Plants that operate on signed live records (pasteurizer charts, CIP, traceability) consistently outperform paper-based peers on the rating because the evidence is born-compliant, not assembled the week before the rater arrives.
- Grade A PMO Appendix C