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163 [1898
The ground of the opposition to the labelling of separated milk
as skimmed milk is mainly that mothers, relying on the fact that
skimmed milk contained some fat, gave their infants this food. Can
anyone seriously believe this statement ? Have those who make it ever
heard of a case where a mother, to whom it is a new fact that this
milk contains fat, deliberately went into a milk shop and bought
skimmed milk for her infant child ? The thing seems incredible.
And if mothers do not buy the raw "skimmed" milk, why should they
buy the same article in its condensed state ? The real truth is that
hitherto the labels of condensed skimmed milk did not draw sufficiently
prominent attention to its contents, and the food was given more
through ignorance as to its quality than through deliberate intent.
The new Sale of Food and Drugs Act will rectify this, as for the
future the article—separated milk—will be marked legibly, so that
there may be no mistake as to its ineligibility for infants.
It is not generally known that there is probably, nay there is,
more condensed separated milk used to-day than there is of condensed
milk retaining all its cream. The introduction of mechanical means
for separating the fat of milk for the making of butter has led to
this. Formerly, to obtain the cream, the milk had to stand for twentyfour
hours, at the end of which time, especially in the summer, the
skimmed milk had turned sour. Now all this is changed, for
the fat is separated more completely, and almost instantaneously,
by mechanical means, so that the residue is left quite sweet and
fresh.
The result is that, whereas in former days "skimmed" milk was
only considered good enough for the food of calves and pigs, it is now
used to feed human beings. And rightly so, for it is a cheap and
exceedingly valuable food for youths and adults, tens of thousands of
whom use it daily in these countries. Indeed, so great is its sale that
it is well-known that one great firm turns out millions of tins annually.
Now anything that might prevent the people, by whom is meant
the industrial classes, from using this excellent food, would be a great
misfortune for them, and, therefore, the action of the action of the authority in