Licked into shape

Press, 2 August 1977, Page 17

Licked into shape

The European Economic Community’s nine farm Ministers nearly reached agreement on ice cream last week — but not quite. It was not the summer weather which led them to discuss such frivolities, but the commission’s desire to get rid of the community’s milk surplus. To encourage consumers to use more of the stuff, it had suggested that nothing which was not made from dairy fats could be called cream. The British objected strongly. Some 80 per cent of Brit-

ish ice cream is in fact made of fish oil, pig fat, or soyabean oil, and would in future have to be called “edible ice.” And what about cream crackers or cream sherry? There were national traditions to be protected. Thus put in its place, the commission suggested a compromise which would allow the British concoction to be labelled

ice cream, but also called by its true name in rea-sonably-sized lettering. “Dairy' ice cream,” as under present British law, would have to be made entirely from milk products. “Ice cream — mainly milk fat” — would have to contain at least 50 per cent milk products. “Ice cream — fat content mainly vegetable or other non-milk fat" — would

contain less appetising substances. As a sweetener, the commission has proposed to subsidise the cost of butter to British cream manufacturers by 25 per cent. Mr Gavin Strang, the minister who led the campaign against the original proposals, has defended the compromise and attacked the misleading

claim by British ice cream manufacturers that even the new proposal would cost consumers an extra S4M a year.

But another row could stop agreement when the agriculture Ministers meet again in September. The Germans are worried about the new Community rule being less stringent than their own legislation against foodstuff such as soyabean cheese masquerading as milk products. — “Economist,” London.