N.Z. CHEESE

Hokitika Guardian, 16 August 1930, Page 6

N.Z. CHEESE

A GROWING PU-EJ UDICE

LONDON, July 10.

Recently there have been signs that all is not well with New Zealand cheese on the London provision market. In many quarters criticisms are heard against a ,aek of flavour and loose texture, widen 1 are said to be general, whi.e tin “standardised” cheese which was introduced last year, has been,, the subject ol special complaint. This haw been reflected to a certain extent by a fall in val ;cs, and also by an inclination to transfer custom in favour of other makes, such as Canadian. •

It cannot be said that there is any active hostility on the part ot the wholesale importers, who are bound to supply the type of article which the retailer requires, and a member of one of tbe largest colon a! cheese importing firms thus explained the position l -to me: “A luimhcr of traders stipulate for full-cream cheese and cannot lie' persuaded to liny anything else. They do not like the idea of handling a cheese made from milk which has laid part of its butter-fat content extracted, whether it is termed ‘standardised’ or not. “There is undoubtedly,” my informant concluded, “a strong feeling that once a start is made in extracting a portion of the cream then the cheese maker is on a very slippery road indeed, which may lead farther than is expected.” TRADE’S SUSPICION.

The principal of another firm, whom I also approached, went into the matter more deeply. “I thi,nk that there lias been a definite falling off in tbe. quality of all grades of New Zealand cheese this year, as compared with former seasons,” he said, “though f do not know wlint the cause may be.” He confirmed my first informant’s -statement that there existed a class of trader who would have nothing but full cream cheese. “They do not know what a statement that a cheese contains not less that of) per cent, of Initte r-fat among its solids means,” he said, “lnit they have an instinctive distrust of a cheese which has been matte,even.if only in part, from skimmed milk whereas the label ‘full-cream’ acts as a guarantee aiid reassures.them. When the Canadian cheese arrives there will prohauly be an increased demand for it. partly at the expense of New Zealand. and it will probably obtain a premium.” •

A DANGER TO TRADE

'Standardised diee.se, in his opinion, "'as definitely inferior to a cheese which was not tampered with in the making. He thought that this -was possibly due to the adding of the skimmed milk to the full ;cream milk ,in the course of] the manufacture, which, in .some way, caused., a..disturbance in the- casein or ash content; thus resulting in a finished cheese which was somehow definitely not so.good. “it'is a matter whichNew Zealand dairy chemists and tbe.iiidustry will have to look into,” he con-, eluded, ‘'or there is danger of their product coming., to. be regarded .as-, merely a secondary grade.” , OLD-T 1 ME “SKiAtMED” CHEESE' New Zealand will realise the urgency of tuis matter when it is stated that the .question lias lilted through to the open columns, of the. trade'Press, which frankly - says : “It is not too much to say that the trade in England would welcome.-, the abandonment of. : ‘standardised’ cheese, and a return to j nothing but the ‘full-cream’ variety,” j Skimmed cheese, of course, is no novelty in the trade, and indeed used to t come in large quantities from . the United States of America many years r ago. It would however, be- unfair to ’ compare the New Zealand “standard- j i.sed” cheese with the type of cheese generally known in the trade as

“skimmed cheese.” So long, however, as the cheese is not “full-cream” there if? an undoubted prejudice against it and as time goes on this prejudice will surely increase rather than diminish.', Those \vlio have handled the “stand.ardised” cheese assert that, apart altogether from prejudice, the article does not meet with favour, and"oil. account of the large proportion of New Zealand cheese now coming forward under the “standardised” heading 'thy* prejudice is .such as to affect tile whole, of the New Zealand cheese as ah article of food. Traders assert that, the inferior quality has already reflected itself in the market price' to' be obtained, when compared with the price of its competitor, Candaian ful!-. cream cheese, and unless New Zeafanif cheese improves, the gap may be "Jo widened as to make New Zealand cheese rank as altogther a secondary article. >•« * xi a

In view ol the decline in the quantity of Canadian cheese imported info the Dinted Kingdom during recent iears there would iseeni to be a better opening than ever for imported cheese of the highest class. One should there-, fore urge New Zealand dairy farmers to take advantage of the opportunity which now presents itself nnd, by impiniiniT the quality of their produce, to gain the highest price.