Pursuant to the purposes of this act, any member of the board, or any employe designated for the purpose, shall have access to, and may enter and inspect, at all reasonable hours, all places and equipment where milk or any product thereof is being produced, stored, bottled, processed, manufactured, sold, weighed, tested, consigned or otherwise handled. Any member of the board or any designated employe thereof also shall have power, at all reasonable hours, to inspect, photograph, photostat, mark or stamp for identification, audit, and copy all books, papers, records or documents in any place within the Commonwealth, for the purpose of ascertaining facts to enable the board to administer this act. The information obtained regarding any person by any such inspection, auditing or copying, or by reports or statements required or authorized by this act, shall be for the confidential use of the board and the various administrative departments, boards and commissions of the State government, and shall not be disclosed by any person except as may be required in the enforcement of law or by order of court; and any member or employe of the board, or other person, disclosing such information, except as herein required, and except as disclosed by board employes during testimony given at price hearings, shall be subject to the penalties herein provided for a violation of this act. Nothing contained in this act shall prevent the use of any information by the board in the compiling and dissemination of general statistical data.

However, any evidence, statements or other testimony offered by parties, or board employes or agents, during official hearings before the board shall be subject to full examination and cross-examination. Consumers attending official hearings who are not represented by counsel may submit questions to the chairman who shall request an answer from the board or from testifying witnesses if the questions are relevant to the official hearing.