A New York Times article (January 26, 2011, B1) describes a tussle between the FDA proposal to test milk for a wider range of antibiotics (than the six currently tested) and the diary farmers, who are worried that the associated one week delay for the test results will effectively mean that the milk has to be destroyed.  The reason for the FDA effort is the finding of excessive medication in cows at slaughterhouses – and the associated belief that lack of appropriate processes to treat animals may result in these medicines showing up in the milk produced.  Looked at as a supply chain problem, is it reasonable to worry that if processes are not followed in one stage, then the system may be suspect ? Whose responsibility is it to confirm that processes are being followed – the manufacturer or the certifier ? Given that a lot of milk is consumed by children, is there an added degree of risk aversion that is reasonable, or should we worry about the associated cost impact ?