STANDARDISED CHEESE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3995, 7 October 1930, Page 13

STANDARDISED CHEESE.

THE QUESTION OF BLENDING. HAMILTON, October 2. Mr C. J. Parlane, managing director of the New Zealand Co-op Dairy Company, interviewed in regard to cheese standardisation, said that much of the propaganda at present appearing in the press in regard to standardised cheese no doubt emanated from the grinders or menders who had hitherto used substantial quantities of New Zealand high fat content cheese for blending with comparatively low fat content “ full-cream ’ cheese manufactured in Canada and the United Kingdom, or possibly skim milk cheese from Holland, with considerable profit to themselves. Deprived of these profits, the grinders were now using precisely the same arguments in regard to New Zealand cheese that the blenders made in regard to butter when it was de cided some years ago to increase the moisture content from an average of approximately 9 to 15 per cent. The claim then was that the quality had been ruined “On that occasion, like th present, ’’ said Mr Parlane, “ persons in responsible positions in the dairy industry in New Zealand became panicky and repeatedly warned the producers that they were running the industry on to rocks. Notwithstanding this, however, the producers refused to be stampeded, with the result that they firmly established their future policy and thus brought into New Zea land hundreds of thousands of pounds that would otherwise have gone into the pockets of the butter blenders in the United Kingdom. It remains to be seen whether the cheese producers are going to stand firm on the policy they have decided upon, at least until such time as there is some evidence that such a policy is detrimentally affecting their industry.”

Mr Parlane said that his company had kept in very close touch with the position in London, but up to the present had not had one tittle of evidence that the standardisation of milk for cheese-making was in any way responsible for the difficulties that were being experienced m regard to the quality of our cheese, whilst, on the other hand, a point that did very materially affect the suppliers to his own company’s cheese factories was the fact that their'butter-fat payments were, during last season, increased, on an average by about* 3d per lb of butter-fat over and above what they would have received had full-cream choose boon m arm factored. VIEW OF OTAGO FACTORIES. At a meeting of representatives of Otago cheese factories, held on Thursday, the following resolution was carried:— “That this meeting of representatives from Otago cheese factories views with alarm the continued reports being received from the United Kingdom regarding the deterioration in quality of New Zealand cheese, and being firmly convinced that (1) these reports arise from the manufacture and export of standardised cheese, and (2) the export of standardised cheese has had a detrimental effect on the market for full-cream cheese, the meeting therefore demands the cancellation forthwith of the regulations permitting the manufacture of standardised cheese, and that the regulations at present in force relating to the manufacture of full-cream cheese be maintained and rigidly enforced ; further, the meeting heartily supports any action that may be taken ny the Dairy Produce Board in its endeavours to have the manufacture of standardised cheese prohibited.” Another resolution was carried urging that all cheese made in Otago should carry a brand similar to the one used by the Stirling Company. Regret was expressed that the Southland factories did not support the motion that was adopted at the annual conference of the South Island Dairy Association to brand all cheese “ South Island.”