VALUABLE FOOD

New Zealand Herald, Volume 82, Issue 25288, 23 August 1945, Page 3

VALUABLE FOOD

NEGLECT OF SKIM MILK i ; HUGE WASTAGE CRITICISED A large untapped source of excellent human food exists in skim milk, byproduct of the butter industry.. There ) is as much protein in the skim milk and ■ butter-milk as in the entire output ; of the meat industries, writes Mr H. i J. Geddo.s, of the agricultural faculty of Sydney University, in the Sydney I Morning Herald. ' Most of the protein is wasted as human food by feeding it to pigs. When pigs are fed on milk alone, a common pre-war practice and not unknown today, not more than one-twelfth of the protein is recovered in the pork or bacon. There is no nutritional advantage to the human in using the pig as an intermediary. If anything, the protein of pork is inferior to the protein of milk. The skim milk and butter-milk from a gallon of whole milk contain as much energy as the butter-fat, as well as nearly all the protein and minerals of milk. Nutritionally they are the "better half" of milk, yet the normal, return from skim milk is Id to l.Jd a gallon, while the butter-fat brings i in 7d to 9d. Butter-milk sells for $d j a gallon or less. Drying would be necessary to use j the skim milk effectively. The chief ob- i jections to the wholesale recovery of; this food are the costs of collection and drying and the price of the final pro-i duct. Price is the key. If the price l were raised to cover these costs and to divert skim milk to drying plants, j milk powder would still he a far cheaper! food than the alternatives. Direct use of skim milk as a human food would give increased stability to! the dairying industry. At present we j use only half the product of the cow J efficiently and expect it to carry 90j per cent of the cost. The margarine threat, now greater than ever as a result of the war, 'makes it desirable for the industry to develop new ,and remunerative outlets for its products, especially for those not used efficiently at present. There should be scope for a new break- j fast food based on milk powder. Todavj in England every baker must add milk, powder to his bread, a practice that | makes bread a far better food. The improved health of English people in wartime may here find explanation. In a world facing famine, a country like Australia can ill afford to waste protein equal in quantity and quality to its huge beef, mutton and lamb output. ,