Flavoured milk

Press, 28 November 1980, Page 12

Flavoured milk

Sir, — “Flavoured milk” is a misnomer — another instance of the right hand of the Health Department not knowing what the left hand is doing. “Flavoured milk” basically is flavoured pasteurised milk. There was similar confusion concerning so - called “homogenised milk.” People were misled by the name to suppose that “homogenised milk” was simply milk which had been homogenised. In its “Proposed Food and Drug Regulations,” August 1966, Regulation 119, the Health Department acknowledged the error, but nevertheless proposed that the misnomer be permitted until April 1, 1968 — a strange suggestion from a body having a principal function of preventing misrepresentation concerning food and drugs. In the event, the department allowed the misrepresentation to continue until April 1, 1975 — nine years after it had officially acknowledged it. (Food and Drug Regulations 1973, Regulation 120 (3) (a), (4)). It is to be hoped that the department will not be so laggard before correcting the official misnomer, “flavoured milk.” — Yours, etc., .ft PAUL MALING. ■ November 11, 1980. (Mr L. V. Weldon, Principal Inspector of Health, Christchurch, replies: “As Mr Maling has correctly stated ‘flavoured milk’ •is milk which has been pasteurised, homogenised, and to which colouring and flavourings have been added. However, I find it difficult to believe that in today’s enlightened society many people would be confused or misled by the use of this labelling term into believing that this milk was anything other than pasteurised milk to which flavouring has been added. Further, sub-clause (5) of Regulation 120 of the Food and Drug Regulations, 1973, requires such products to ' be ■ labelled with the words ‘flavoured milk’ or With the constituent flavour conjoined with the word milk, i.e., ‘chocolate milk’. In addition, this product- must also comply with the standards' for flavoured milk, as set out in Regulation 119 of these Regulations, which includes the requirement that the milk, must be efficiently heat treated (pasteurised). I must also re-emphasise that the '.department has, for. many years, advocated the consumption of pasteurised milk as an effective public measure in preventing the spread of milk-borne diseases, and in light of the success that has been achieved the department will continue to encourage the consumption of pasteurised milk. Although we would not directly oppose any person who desires to take the risks involved in consuming raw milk, I must point out that it is illegal for any person to label any package containing raw milk with the word ‘safe’ or any other words of similar meaning.”)