Milk vendors unhappy at carton prospects

Press, 20 July 1984, Page 5

Milk vendors unhappy at carton prospects

Canterbury milk vendors are not happy with the latest plans to offer milk for sale in cartons. A packaging task group, set up by the New Zealand Milk Board, is investigating the introduction of cartoned milk as an alterantive to the traditional glass bottles. Its report is expected to be finished by September 30, before its presentation to the Market Milk Industry Conference in October. The president of the Canterbury Milk Vendors’ Asssociation, Mr R. R. Millar, said vendors wjere frightened that cartons would make “inroads” into home deliveries in spite of assurances by the Milk Board that this would not be

so. Vendors were also worried that the price of bottled milk might increase as a result of cartons, he said. The price of cartoned milk could be more expensive than bottles and if there was drop in bottle sales, the price might rise to counteract it. Mr Millar said that he did not think it would affect vendors in Christchurch as much as those in Auckland. Recent surveys had shown that there was a demand for cartoned milk in supermarkets but vendors were not convinced that the demand was enough to warrant its introduction.' However, Canterbury ven-

dors were supporting the proposal to some extent because they wanted the right to distribute both bottles and cartons. They were prepared to set up specialist rounds to deliver to supermarkets if needed.

Any decision on selling milk in cartons would have to be made by the Government and Mr Millar said that as the cardboard had to be imported, it might be against Government policy. The district manager of the Milk Board, Mr John Duncraft, said that the board policy was committed to home delivery of milk in bottles. The final decision on the introduction of cartons was up to the Government, he said.