View report page

21
A bacteriological standard of purity of milk will doubtless eventually be
demanded by the public.
Comparison of London and Copenhagen Milk Supply. (Population 670,000—1922).
It is interesting to compare the condition of the milk supply of London with that cf
Copenhagen, where I paid a visit in the course of the year, and saw what was being done. In
Copenhagen objection is taken to the presence of any dirt—milk which after standing two
hours gives a noticeable deposit shall be considered as polluted to an inadmissible degree.
If the dirt is found in the milk obtained from a producer after the first offence, the producer
runs the risk of not being allowed to sell his milk in Copenhagen. In 1923, 11,000 samples
were examined for dirt, in five only was it found. During recent years the supply of milk
has been stopped by the authorities on account of unsatisfactory conditions of the cowsheds,
uncleanliness of the cows, milk pails and other utensils, and unsatisfactory water supply. In
order to secure the carrying out of the regulations of the Copenhagen Health Committee
they are empowered to demand from a milk dealer a fortnightly certificate, signed by a
veterinary surgeon, that the condition of health, feeding, care and milking of the cattle is
in accordance with the regulations. These were drawn up by the Danish Veterinary
Surgeons' Association.
In every case the owners of live stock from which whole milk is supplied to Copenhagen
must have the cattle inspected once a month by a veterinary surgeon, and the necessary
certificate forwarded to the Health Committee. The milk of cows suffering from tuberculosis
or other specified diseases must not be sold. Regulations are laid down as regards milking,
supply of clean water, the presence of adequate lighting of the stable, so that the cleanliness
of the cow's udder and flanks can be observed, straining of the milk, and the clean handling
and cleanliness of all utensils used.
In 1921, the milk of 6,279 (and in 1922, 8,416) sick cows was excluded temporarily or
permanently from the Copenhagen milk supply.
All cows whose udders are found to be tuberculous are slaughtered, the Government
paying compensation.
The average daily consumption of milk per head in Copenhagen is "85 pint. The
figure given for London in January, 1918, was .33 pint.*
About 22,750 pints of certified children's milk, very similar to our Grade A. tuberculin
tested milk, is sold daily in Copenhagen, and about 6,650 pints of Jersey milk (fat standard
4 75 per cent.). It should be remarked that the fat standard of ordinary milk is 3 25 per cent.
The price of Copenhagen cream milk compares very favourably with that in London,
The respective prices on October 12th last were: —
Copenhagen. London,
(add cost of delivery). Per Cream 3s. 9d
32% fat 7/Grade
A 6 2d.
(tuberculin tested (Children's milk) 9d.
milk)
Pasteurised milk 7,
Ordinary milk j
About d. is charged for delivery of each bottle of one litre or lesser size.
*From information obtained through Local Food Control Committees it was shown that the consumption of
ordinary cows' milk per head per day in Great Britain varied in January, 1918, from one-tenth of a pint
in Inverness to one-third of a pint in London ; the average for the country was one-quarter of a pint
per head per day. Working class consumption has been put by the Board of Trade at 1.8 pints per
head per week,* which also works out to one-quarter of a pint per head per day. This
is less than half the normal average consumption of the City of New York. Consumption
in Great Britain is uneven and varies, according to the available returns in the large towns,
from .63 pints per head per day in Hornsey to .08 pints per head per day in Dudley, and in the smaller
towns from -67 pints per head per day in Winchester to -06 pints per head per day in Llanelly. Though
there must be some uncertainty attached to the returns of retail sales on which these figures, particularly
those relating to rural and small urban areas are based, it is clear that the average daily consumption
of milk throughout Great Britain is much lower than is desirable.—(Final Report, Committee on the
Production and Distribution of Milk, page 8.)