BAN ON RAW MILK

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28657, 6 August 1958, Page 14

BAN ON RAW MILK

Health Figures Reflect Move (From Our Own Reporter) WELLINGTON, August 5. The action of Christchurch milk companies in refusing to distribute raw milk is endorsed by the improvement in health shown by statistics, according to the annual report of the Department of Health, tabled in the House of Representatives this afternoon. “Regarding pasteurised milk, it is interesting to note that early in the year, as a result of flrm bacteriological evidence of the contamination of raw milk with the organisms of undulant fever and tuberculosis, the milk companies in Christchurch decided that they would no longer distribute raw milk, on the grounds that in the public interest only pasteurised milk should be delivered to their customers/’ says the report. I “This progressive move was supoorted by the Christchurch Milk Board, and pasteurised milk has now been distributed in Christchurch for a period of 12 months. This has already had a noticeable effect on health statistics. Of those receiving pasteurised r. ik. no case of undulant fever has been recorded, and there has already been a noticeable reduction in the number of cases of non-pul-monary tuberculosis. “It is to be hoped that Christchurch will continue to maintain a pasteurised milk supply and so eliminate the risk of spreading disease which is inevitable with raw milk at the present time/’ says the report. “There is still a small minority which claims that consumers should be free to choose between raw or pasteurised milk, and if raw milk was free from danger this could be conceded. The fact is, however, that milk, one of the most vulnerable foods we use. cannot be made absolutely safe without pasteurisation/*

The largest ship in the Norwegian merchant fleet has been launched at Kiel. It is the 39,700ton Jakinda, belonging to the Anders Jahre Company.—Oslo (Reuter).