THE DAIRY INDUSTRY.
QUESTION OF STANDARDISED CHEESE. ADDRESS BY MR W. M. SINGLETON. Speaking at the annual conference at New Plymouth on Friday of the National Dairy Association, the director of the dairy division of the ,Department of Agriculture (Mr W. M. Singleton) had some interesting comments to make on dairy produce quality and marketing. He devoted a considerable portion of his address to the much-discussed question of standardised cheese, the manufacture of which he regarded as an experiment unavoidable in the evolution of the cheese industry.' QUALITY OF BUTTER. “ There has been in evidence a desire on the part of creamery or butter factory managers to turn out good quality butter,” said Mr Singleton. “The grading figures indicate that.the quality has been maintained, but it would appear from some reports from the United Kingdom that some of our butters graded finest had left somewhat to be desired m quality when they reached the market. This may be due to some extent to the season which has not been altogether normal in some districts. It may also, to a lesser extent, be due to a little more leniency* in assessing the value of some feed flavours at the time of grading. This season’s experience, however, tends to indicate that we are placing in the ‘finest’ class rather a higher percentage of our butters of last season’s quality than market -will accept, and that there should be some stiffening of the grading in this connection. “The regulation respecting salt content in butter has proved beneficial,” he continued. “Many companies are now using more salt and keeping within the legal limits. There have been few complaints regarding excess salting. It may be accepted, I believe, that the salt content of New Zealand salted butter is giv-
ing more satisfaction to the trade, and we have at the same time increased the revenue of some companies and of the Dominion over that which would have obtained otherwise. This season has not been without complaint respecting neutraliser flavour in butter; There is some opinion that this defect accentuates in storage, and butter factory managers are well advised to give the neutralising of cream the attention it merits. Now that more of our butters are going to the Midlands, where consumers have been accustomed to a butter with more aroma than New Zealand’s, it is important that we should get away from the neutraliser flavour as far as we can w’ith safety.
CHEESE QUALITY. “ The general consensus of opinion amongst those responsible for cheese quality is in favour of an effort provement,” said the speaker. ‘‘This recognition has been in evidence during the past season and many dairy company directorates and their managers have made strenuous efforts to turn out a better quality. It would have been much more pleasing had their efforts been more successful/ but it must be recognised that it takes more than one season to regain that which it took nearly a decade to lose. Some of the endeavour was too strenuous in certain directions, and the remedying of one fault, in a number of instances, produced a fault by way of the opposite extreme. However, we are satisfied that progress has been made. . The Grocer of February 21 Mast, referring to New Zealand cheese, stated: ‘The quality and condition generally show an improvement, and more recently a London firm s report on New Zealand cheese, as published, stated: ‘ deliveries of New Zealand cheese ex s.tore are showing a decided improve-
ment.’ STANDARDISED CHEESE. Prior to the beginning of 1927, said Mr Singleton, a number of dairy companies were using skim milk illicitly 'in the manufacture of cheese which were brandeu “ Full Cream ” and shipped in crates branded “ Full Cream.” This was illegal and prosecutions against one or two dairy companies were successful. It was, however, difficudt to get evidence sufficient for the purposes of successful prosecutions of other delinquent companies, _ and dairy companies undertaking illicit skimming had an unfair advantage over competitors which were complying with the law. brom two standpoints the December, 1928, meeting in .Wellington was of major importance, viz.:—(a) From the dairy division s administrative viewpoint to get full cream cheese true to brand, (b) From the viewpoint of a considerable number of dairycompanies, to determine whether high fat content milk could be more economically handled in the manufacture of cheese other than full cream. _ » The resolution which was carried and read “ That full cream cheese be from wlrtjje milk, including whole milk starter, if any,” became embodied in a regulation, which, on its becoming law, caused the position to become such that all our full cream cheese were true to brand. Those intimately in touch with cheese manufacture in some parts of the North Island knew that without such a regulation making. illegal the use of a skimmed milk starter, the dairy division could not possibly stop the illicit use of skim milk. It would be generally recognised that for some years prior to 1929, the industry would not have accepted the discontinuance of the use of skim milk starter in the manufacture of full cream cheese. They had extreme difficulty in getting Southland dairy companies to discontinue using skim milk starter in 1929. Standardisation gave the necessary “ bypass ” in this connection in the North Island. It would not have been possible to enforce this regulation had the manufacture of other than whole milk cheese not been legalised. He was, therefore, of the opinion, since the date of the Wellington meeting, that, irrespective of whatever the future of other than whole milk cheese would be, an important step in the evolution of our cheese industry’had been made, and that the South Taranaki Federation was deserving of credit for convening the meeting that produced such a result. There was a section of cheese producers, ’ he continued, who sincerely believed that high testing milk could be more economically used than by manufacturing ful’ cream cheese. Sooner ot later this economic phase of the subject had to be tried out. This hacf been undertaken and carried on, to what now appeared to be accepted as a conclusion. “It is-my personal opinion," he said, “that New Zealand producers-were well advised to continue the experiment unt ; l such a conclusion was reached as would determine the question, either favourably or • unfavourably, but definitely. That could not have been accomplished prior to the close of the season .just concluding. So far as I am aware, it had not been suggested prior to that Wellington meeting that the Dairy Division was recommending standarisation. It did not do sc at that meeting, nor has it since adopted
the policy. “ After this most representative \V eilington meeting decided to favour the initiation of standardisation, the Dairy Davision did what it could to get the general legal position such that dairy com panies had the option of making “full cream ” or “ other than full cream ” cheese. There was little adverse comment about the quality of butter, and much about the quality of our cheese, and more particularly as to how our other than full cream cheese had ruined our market. . The receipts of New Zealand butter into the United Kingdom in 1930 showed an increase of 28 per cent, over those of 1928, and thd average weekly price quotation evidenced a reduction of 25 per cent., partly due, doubtless, to increased quantity, but principally due to adverse economic conditions which were so general. The corresponding figures for New Zealand cheese were identical for percentage reduction in price (25 per cent.), and the increased receipts of cheese were also practically identical at 26 per cent. Instead of New Zealand’s increased quantity of 26 per cent., Canada had that same percentage of decrease in quantity, and as would naturally be expected, a lesser reduction in price at 19 per cent. New Zealand’s price reduction at 25 per cent, compared favourably with that of English cheddar finest at 31.4 per cent., and English cheddar fine at 36.7 per cent. There were no figures available showing
the qualities of English cheese marketed, but if, as some suggested, the reduction in price for New Zealand was due to the manufacture of other than full cream cheese, what was the explanation of the much greater reduction in price of English cheddar for the calendar year 1930? There were some to whom it had yet to be proved, that had New Zealand exported nothing other than full cream cheese since the beginning of 1929 our price quotations would have been materially better, eaid Mr Singleton. They had, however, satisfied themselves that, outside the question of quality, the cheese trade of the United Kingdom preferred that New Zealand cheese should be all full cream. It was believed that they had, by the experiment, definitely and absolutely cleaned up the position. Lt was a moot point whether the experience had 'cost ue much financially. He regarded the last two and a-half years’ experience as unavoidable in t4ie evolution of our cheese industry. DISCOLOURATION OF CHEESE.
The discolouration of cheese had been giving a few companies a good deal of concern, he said, and Mr Morgan, the Dairy Divisions’ bacteriologist, has given the matter considerable attention during the last two seasons. The matter was referred to the Dairy Research Institute early in the season, and since then Mr Morgan’s work has been in close collaboration with Professor Riddet, director ot the institute.
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Otago Witness, Issue 4033, 30 June 1931, Page 16
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1,566THE DAIRY INDUSTRY. Otago Witness, Issue 4033, 30 June 1931, Page 16
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