CHEESE SCORES A POINT

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22583, 23 November 1936, Page 8

CHEESE SCORES A POINT

For too long New Zealand cheese was the target of criticism, much of it deserved. In the end the Agricul- | ture Department and the factories ! were moved to action, stricter reguI lations were applied to the industry | and research set afoot to discover i better methods and processes. The ' result has been higher standards and i improved quality. It is most gratify- ; ing to have this acknowledged in a | report by cable from London which [says: "For cheese the demand is good. Owing to the improvement in quality and a slight decrease in imports, supplies are quickly cleared." The statistical position is, of course, an important influence. In the first ten months of this year Britain imported 5000 tons less New Zealand cheese than in the corresponding period of last year and 20,000 tons less than in that of 1934. This deficiency has, however, been partly made up from Home supplies. At the same time the British demand for cheese has remained almost stationary since 1914 while the consumption of butter has more than doubled. Is it not possible that, if New Zealand supplied a better article, demand for cheese would be stimulated 1 The Dominion dominates the British market, supplying 70 per cent of imports, against 45 per cent in 1924, and 25 per cent in 1914.' In this department New Zealand has almost a free field and a unique opportunity. The Dairy Board, commenting on Britain's declining imports, suggests) that the food habits of the people may be gradually changing, that the tendency is toward a reduction in what may be called the heavier foodstuffs, including cheese. Even so, the imports of 130,000 tons a year represent a valuable trade in which New Zealand has the predominant interest. Her factories are improving quality, steadily lowering the premium earned by Canadian cheese, and may also check the decline in demand. But they might go further and seek to quicken the British palate by developing the export of fancy cheeses, thus catering for the demand for novelty and variety that marks the diet habitß of people everywhere.