Dairy Product Shipping Guide
Dairy Product Shipping Guide — Summary
A quick overview of how FarmSource dairy orders — fluid milk, cream, cheese, butter, yogurt, and cultured dairy — get from your farm to the customer, whether they’re shipped or picked up on-site. Full guide covers every step, code citation, and packaging spec; this is the short version.
What the guide covers
Two fulfillment paths for the same product:
- Shipped orders — every step: EPS cooler, gel packs, and handling labels for third-party carrier transit.
- Customer pickup orders — a simplified path: prep the order and hold it in the correct cooler or freezer until the customer arrives. Skip the shipping label, EPS cooler, gel packs, and handling labels unless the customer requests them. All procedures comply with ORC Chapter 917 (Milk and Milk Products), OAC 901:11 (ODA Dairy Division), and OAC Chapter 3717-1 (Ohio Uniform Food Safety Code).
Product requirements (apply to every order, shipped or pickup)
- Pasteurized and processed by an ODA-licensed dairy processor (Grade A Milk Producer, Milk Plant, or Dairy Product Plant license).
- Each package bears the processor’s ODA license number or plant ID — do not modify, remove, or cover it.
- Label includes full ingredient list, allergens (including milk), net weight/volume, and use-by / sell-by date.
- Raw dairy is retail-prohibited in Ohio — only permitted through FarmSource as clearly labeled “For Pet Consumption Only” or under a documented herdshare agreement.
The 5-step process
- Order notification & preparation — Check email, log into FarmSource, confirm each product’s storage state (refrigerated vs. frozen).
- Print label, verify volume, and pack — Prep within 24 hours of pickup. Verify every package matches its advertised volume/weight. Pack in an EPS foam cooler (min. 1.5” walls) with gel packs layered between product for maximum surface contact. Tape lid, place inside a corrugated outer box.
- Attach required labels — FarmSource shipping label on the outer box, plus “Keep Refrigerated” or “Keep Frozen” and “Perishable” handling labels in visible locations.
- Store package until handoff — Immediately place in the correct cooler (≤45°F) or freezer (below 32°F). Never leave at room temp. Do not ship Fridays or day-before-holiday without guaranteed overnight.
- Carrier pickup & confirmation — Have package ready no more than 24 hours before the pickup window, staged in the correct holding unit. Confirm the pickup in your FarmSource account.
Gel pack rule
1 oz of gel pack per 9 cubic inches of inner box volume, rounded up to the nearest ½ lb. The validated anchor case is the Uline S-22567 (599 cu in inner volume) at 4 lbs of gel packs. Full sizing table in the guide.
Temperature targets
- Refrigerated dairy: ≤45°F at delivery, maintained continuously.
- Frozen dairy: kept frozen solid (below 32°F) in storage; delivered at ≤41°F.
- Freezer exception (cheese & butter only): solid dairy may be packed more than 24 hours ahead if held continuously frozen in the sealed package until carrier pickup. Does not apply to fluid milk, cream, yogurt, or kefir — freezing damages those products.
Customer pickup — what changes
Product-level requirements (pasteurization, ODA ID, labeling, dating, volume) still apply. What you can skip: the FarmSource shipping label, EPS cooler and gel packs, outer corrugated box, and the “Keep Refrigerated / Keep Frozen / Perishable” handling labels — unless the customer specifically requests them. Stage the prepped order in the customer pickup cooler or freezer, hand it directly to the customer at the pickup window, and confirm the pickup in your account.
Read the full Dairy Product Shipping Guide for the complete gel pack sizing table, packing checklist, and Ohio dairy code citations. Questions? Contact FarmSource Farmer Support at (740) 398-7920 or team@farm-source.org.