An Intersociety Council was appointed late in 1968 to develop the 13th edition of Standard Methods for the Examination of Dairy Products (SMEDP). The Council was made up of 9 persons who represented professional societies, regulatory agencies, the dairy industry, and the academic community. The Council enlisted the help of 58 other persons who are experts in various fields and jointly prepared the 21 chapters and 2 appendices in the 13th edition of SMEDP. Major features of the 13th edition of SMEDP include: (a) a detailed review of pathogens which have occurred in milk and milk products, (b) a separate chapter on sampling methods of all kinds, (c) a separate chapter on media and reagents and on methods for their preparation, (d) a chapter on screening and confirmatory tests for abnormal milk, (e) expansion of the chapter on chemical methods, and (f) inclusion of supplemental microbiological and chemical methods in the appendices, which will be on paper of a color different from that of the chapters. Numerous minor changes, both editorial and in technical matters, have been made in all chapters and appendices.