QUALITY OF BUTTER

Taranaki Daily News, 30 November 1934, Page 9

QUALITY OF BUTTER

NEW ZEALAND PRODUCE BRITISH RETAILERS’ VIEWS. SLIGHT FAULTS MENTIONED. Wellington, Nov. 28. The quality of New Zealand, butter marketed in London, and the views of consumers and retailers, are dealt with in reports which have been received by the Dairy Research Institute section of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. The institute regularly forwards experimental shipments of butter and cheese to England, on commercial lines, and these consignments are traced to their ultimate destination the consumer. There has recently come to hand an extensive report based on investigations of the retail trade in butter, which were made possible by the friendly co-opera-tion of one of the largest retail concerns in the United Kingdom, an extensive buyer not only of New Zealand dairy produce, but also of the supplies of its competitors. Useful comparisons were thus possible. TEXTURE AND FLAVOUR. From a series of statements made by managers of grocery establishments stocking New Zealand butter it is clear that they appreciate the good and uniform quality of the New Zealand product, though they have criticisms. For instance, one manager says: The only difficulties lies in the length of time which must necessarily elapse before these consignments arrive in England, and if they had only the same distance to come as Danish I would have no hesitation in saying that New could prove herself the finest butterproducing country in the world. Another grocer, asked to make a comparison between the New Zealand and Danish butters in his stock, replied: The chief difference is still the harder waxy basis of your butter as against the very much softer texture of the Danish. His general opinion of New Zealand butter is that it is fine in quality, good m colour, very clean in flavour and correct for salt. A suggestion regarding flavour was made from another quarter, where. New Zealand butter was described as very mild in flavour, but sweet and clean. It would be improved by a slightly more pronounced flavour, but very little. DIFFERENCE IN PRICES. Some of the New Zealand represents-. tives had the opportunity in London of making an inspection of a large range of butters, including Danish, Dutch, Swedish, Estonian, Irish, Siberian, Australian and New Zealand. Their comment was: “There was surprisingly. little difference between the quality of Swedish, Danish and Estonian, but the market prices on that day in London W< £ e: Swedish 70s per cwt, .Danish 107 s, Estonian 615.” , . . At that time New Zealand was being quoted at below 70s, and the point was raised whether the average consumer could differentiate in quality between Panich at Is 2d and New Zealand at lOd. One grocery manager of wide experience said he did not think they could tell the difference except in the price, but he made the important qualification that storing the cold weather spreadability was-an important factor. It was found in other directions that the relatively low price of New Zealand butter is attracting regular customers, who had previously taken Danish. It is suggested by the departments advisers that it would be unwise to accept the view regarding, customers being unable to discriminate without first making a market survey such as suggested by the National Institute of Industrial Psychology. Nor should any important departure from the present butter quality be made without first obtaining a definite answer from consumers and the trade.