Warning on milk

Press, 29 September 1979, Page 3

Warning on milk

PA Wellington If fresh white milk was sold in cartons through supermarkets, its price would probably double, its availability would be restricted, and people would drink less milk, said the president of the Dominion Federation of Milk Vendors (Mr I. McLaren) yesterday, to the federation's conference in Wellington. “The family using six bottles a day is in for a hell of a shock. They’d be carrying more than 25 kilograms of milk on top of the rest of the shopping home from the supermarket every Friday night. “Nobody wants to carry a week’s supply and no ordinary family has got the fridge space to store it,” he said. Although the Government still paid 5c for every bottle, the industry believed that the subsidy would be removed sooner or later.

However, the federation favoured the idea of selling flavoured milk in cartons

through dairies, take-aways and vendors.

Mr McLaren said a problem had arisen with a splinter group, the National Union of Milk Vendors, which had Only 15 per cent of milk vendors. This union opposed cartons for white and flavoured milk. This was not the view of the whole vending industry.

The Under-Secretary of Agriculture (Mr Talbot) told the conference that milk vendors should unite and get out and market their product. The existence of two vendor organisations caused confusion to the public and “does more harm than good,” he said. The record of the vending industry as a distributing service rather than a salesoriented business must change.

He suggested- that television and newspaper advertising campaigns be supplemented by advertising gimickry on milk truckg. Vendors who saw ' their role as bottle-droppers, rather than salesmen, did

themselves a grave disservice, Mr Talbot said. “Bright attractive cartons for a variety cff milk products would ensure a profitable future.” But the Labour member of Parliament for Lyttelton, Mrs Ann Hercus yesterdaysaid the Labour Party would be extremely concerned if ordinary milk was packaged in disposable cartons.

“One estimate is that cartoning would increase the price of milk 5c a pint,” Mrs Hercus said. “Disposable cartons mean greater energy use, an increase in waste, and a decline in recycling. One humble milk bottle does over 100 trips.” Overseas experience indicated that the sale of white milk in disposable cartons led to the end of home delivery services.

Mrs Hercus said Labour did not oppose the introduction of flavoured milk in disposable cartons “but this must be ip Eaddition to the traditional* bottle milk delivery service, and not an, erosion of it” i