PASTEURISING OF MILK

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27307, 25 March 1954, Page 10

PASTEURISING OF MILK

Sanitation Expert’s Advocacy DANGER SEEN FROM BACTERIA “If you analysed your water supply and found it contained as many bacteria as raw milk, you would condemn that water immediately,” said Mr Paul Bierstein, adviser on environmental sanitation to the Western Pacific regional office of the World Health Organisation, addressing a meeting organised by the New Zealand branch of the Royal Sanitary Institute and the Christchurch branch of the United Nations Association. “I am for pasteurised milk —I am against raw milk,” said Mr Bierstein. He had been asked for his opinion of Christchurch nlilk, and whether the people of the United States would drink it. * “Something less than one-eighth of 1 per cent, of the milk drunk in the United States is not pasteurised,” said Mr Bierstein. Whether New Zealanders drank raw or pasteurised milk was “up to them.” They seemed to have a very hi'gh level of education; it was only a matter now of bringing them the truth, Mr Bierstein said.

Milk was an extremely good medium for bacterial growth, he said. “If you have humans handling material as easily contaminated as milk, you are bound to have accidents. You don’t cry over spilt milk, but when you cause an epidemic, it is something to cry about,” said Mr. Bierstein.