RESULTS OF SURVEY ON SCHOOL MILK WASTAGE

Press, Volume C, Issue 29469, 22 March 1961, Page 14

RESULTS OF SURVEY ON SCHOOL MILK WASTAGE

The result of a survey on the wastage of milk in schools have been issued by the New Zealand Milk Board. "While in many schools, wastage of milk is kept to a minimum, there are others where there is considerable room for improvement,” says a statement by the board’s manager Mr D. J. Henderson More than 1000 schools cooperated with the board last November in carrying out the survey on wastage, done by making a detailed analysis of milk issued and consumed during one week. The survey shows that the greatest quantity of milk wasted (in part-consumed bottles) occurs in kindergartens, where 5.9 per cent, of milk issued is wasted. In district high schools. 2.1 per cent of the milk issued is wasted, in primary schools, 1.6 per cent., and in postprimary schools, 1.1 per cent. “As these figures show, the over-all wastage is by no means excessively high when allowance is made for fluctuating attendances, and other factors which can suddenly affect the level of consumption by the children,”' the board’s statement says. “The main brunt of any

campaign against waste within the scheme must necessarily fall on the teachers,” says the statement "Without their co-operation, it would not be possible to control wastage, and the board expresses its appreciation of the many teachers who are doing an excellent job in this respect.” The statement lists six points for schools to watch in order to keep wastage of milk down. A level of absenteeism. “Trived at on a basis of experience,” should be allowed for in calculating quantities of milk to be ordered, says the first point. “Lack of care of the milk can sometimes result in milk acquiring an ‘off taste’ and children being unwilling to drink it all This is likely to happen if schools are not equipped with closed stands capable of protecting the milk crates from daylight, and keeping it relatively cool until required for drinking.” says another point “Some schools appear to think that full bottles of milk left over must be emptied at t’-e school,” says a third point. “Full bottles should always be returned to the treatment station. Where this milk is in a fit condition, it is separated, and the cream sent for manufacture into butter.”