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IV.
Dr. A. K. Chalmers, M.O.1, Glasgow, in answer to Prof. Thorpe :
"3452. It is the case, is it unt, in Glasgow that the local custom differs from the rest of the kingdom? (A pause.) What have you to tell us about condensed milk?—Just what is common knowledge in the matter; when a purchaser buys condensed milk he should know defini ely how much water he must add to bring it up to any standard of sweet milk that may be adopted.”
In answer to Dr. Voelcker :-
#3526. Then with regard to the condensed milk; your views as to the desirability of stating the amount of water that should be added to condensed milk to make it up to the composition of original good milk are based upon considerations to the health of the people? --That is so."
V.
F. J. Lloyd, F.I.C., F.C.S., Analyst to the British Dairy Farmers' Association and the Metropolitan Dairymen's Society, in answer to Prof. Thorpe :-
C+
6092. Will you tell us, then, briefly what you have to say with respect to condensed milk and to cream ?-With regard to condensed milk. It is usual for condensed milk as sold to the public to bear a label stating the proportion of water which may be added, and it is therefore only necessary to stipulate that when so diluted it shall produce a liquid containing not less than the percentage of constituents which shall have been fixed as the minimum standard of milk. But condensed milk might be sold not so labelled, an·1, of course, it would open the door and invite people who wanted to seil condensed milk frau- dulently not to label it after that standard had been fixed. So that I think where con lens- ed milk was sold without such a label you mast fix a standard of some kind. In my opinion this should be that it contain not less than 12 per cent. of fat-that it to say, one part of condensed milk can be added to three of water and make four parts of milk; I believe that is about the average proportion of dilution requisite."
6093. We are, of course, met with the difficulty, as regards condensed milk, that some considerable portion is sweetened ?--Yes.
6094. Of course a considerable portion also is not, sweeteneil ?—Yes.
6095. Now the sweetened variety requires the addition of a very much larger quantity of water, in some cases at all events, to do anything with it at all-to make it practicable to use it ?-Yes.
696. In that case how would your label real?-Simply put the quantity of water that is necessary to make it milk of your standard as regards fat.
6097. But then it would still be unusable-- it would be so thick or viscid that you could not use it ?-1 am not sure but the sooner that sort of milk is prevented from being sold the better.
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699%. Of course, it is a commercial article; there is nothing to prevent it?
Yes, but 1 think you must be well aware that poor people know nothing whatever about this condensel milk; they think that the solidity is due to the constituents which they would get in the milk.
6099. Yes, I am aware of that; we have had it in evidence that a considerable quantity of this stuff is used by mothers as fool for their intants; they take it partly because it is sweet-that makes the stuff palatable to the child; but they have to dilute it with such a large volume of water to put it into the feeding bottle or to do anything with it, that practically the child is fed upon a starvation diet, the only nutrient thing being substantially the sugar. What could von do with such a case as that-how would your label affect that case?-It would prohibit the production of such stuff, would it not?
6100. We have no power to prohibit the production of it?-I do not know: you can say condense i milk is condensed milk, and if, when a certain amount of water is sled to it it does not make milk but makes something else, it has no right to be called condensed milk. In my opinion there is a great deal more trouble in the country due to the con- sumption of condensed milk than people have ever found out. I do not think the me lical profession have thoroughly appreciated the very great amount of illness, which may be caused by the foolish consumption of condensed milk."
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