All sales affected says milk federation

Press, 13 May 1989, Page 6

All sales affected says milk federation

Extensive publicity about dioxin had not just cut sales of milk in cartons, but brought all milk sales down, said the Market Milk Federation’s president, Mr Robin Mitchell.

At a press conference yesterday in Wellington, Mr Mitchell, whose federation represents New Zealand’s town milk suppliers, said: “The problem is that dioxin is such an emotional issue."

“People don’t understand that at the parts per trillion levels we are talking about, there just isn’t a risk of toxic effects.” Mr Mitchell said the federation had sought advice from the head of the National Toxicology Group at Otago Medical School, Professor Ralph Edwards, who assured it that the existing milk cartons were safe. This assurance was repeated by the Health Department

when it met the federation earlier this week.

As it was essential that consumers had complete confidence in the product, federation members had decided to abandon the former chlorine-bleached cartons for oxygen-bleached cartons, he said.

D.S.I.R. tests of the new paperboard showed that milk from the new cartons was dioxin-free. Mr Mitchell said the new cartons would be phased in during the next three months as the paperboard arrived in New Zealand.

Professor Edwards said it was important to monitor dioxin levels and to take a conservative position on establishing the levels of safety. But the traces of dioxins in the old chlorine-bleached milk cartons were within safe limits, he said.