QUALITY OF NEW ZEALAND CHEESE.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 77, 31 March 1931, Page 13

QUALITY OF NEW ZEALAND CHEESE.

INQUIRIES BY PRIME MINISTER IN ENGLAND. (Special to the “Star.”) WELLINGTON, March 31. _ Askecl whether he had anv observations to make regarding the quality of New Zealand cheese, and his experiences in England, the Prime Minister (Mr Forbes) stated in an interview that he had made very careful inquiries in Britain regarding the quality of our exports, and. in particular, of our cheese. He had discussed the question with merchants individually, and collectively at a private gathering, and had visited large stores and factories where New Zealand cheese was made up into packet cheese, of which latter there were some thirty brands on the market. He had made personal inquiries from numerous retail shops, and had interviewed our various representatives in London; also, he had visited the Dairy Research Institute at Reading. As a result of these inquiries, he had been led to the opinion that the main faults were those of maturity and flavour, these faults being of even greater seriousness than that of “ openness.” He had instructed the Secretary of the Research Department to return from the Imperial Conference via U.S.A. and Canada, and, among other things, to report upon a very promising scientific development in regard to the control of maturity and flavour ,by appropriate starters and temperature of holding. Report Being Prepared. An additional specialist scientific worker from the Dominion Laboratory had been seconded to the Dairy Research Institute so as to assist in accelerating the necessary research work being undertaken there; while the Government Analyst at Auckland would assist the laboratory workers of the New Zealand Co-operative Dairy Company at Hamilton. A special technical committee also had been appointed. to prepare a technical report on the immediate measures necessary with regard to both practice and research. With regard to standardisation and the question of ripeness, there was already a considerable body of information to hand, and numerous test shipments of experimental cheeses were at present on their way to the Home market. A special technical report on the whole question of improvement in the cheesemaking industry would be released in about a fortnight’s time. The whole question was thrashed out at a meeting of the Dairv Research Management Committee, and, in view of the foregoing, the public might rest assured that although no publicity had been given to these measures, no stone was being left unturned in an endeavour to effect a speedy improvement in the quality of our cheese, and all parties were co-operating. A diagnosis of the main faults having been made, he personally was more hopeful than ever that a speedy achievement of a higher-class product would be obtained. It was most pleasing to observe that fill parties were fully seized with the importance of the question, and were heartily co-operat-ing.