392 MILK AND THE PUBLIC HEALTH 



CHAP. 



and actually low. The method of preparation is sufficient to 

 eliminate most bacteria. 



The use of condensed milk in this country would appear to 

 be on the increase. Coutts l states that there are (1911) nine 

 or ten factories in England and as many in Ireland engaged in 

 this industry. Accurate figures are not available as to the total 

 or the relative amounts of each, but Coutts thinks that about 

 half are makers of machine-skimmed varieties. The imports 

 of condensed milk into the United Kingdom show a steady 

 increase. In 1895 they were 545,394 cwts., and in 1900 

 and 1901, 987,003 and 919,319 cwts. respectively. From 

 1902 to 1909 the importations were as follows : 



In addition to its use by the ordinary consumer, condensed 

 milk is used to some extent by milk purveyors to add to 

 ordinary milk. In this connection Coutts (loc. cit.) remarks : 



Considerable amounts of full-cream condensed milk, either un- 

 sweetened or only slightly sweetened, are imported in large tins. 

 There is good reason to believe that a considerable amount of such 

 milk is purchased by dairymen, who mix it with water to a suit- 

 able consistency, and utilise the product to expand their supply of 

 ordinary milk. . . . The practice of mixing condensed milk with 

 fresh cows' milk is said to be most prevalent in times of special 

 shortage, when there may be a large demand for condensed un- 

 sweetened milk for this purpose, even small 1 Ib. tins being bought, 

 and occasionally even the fully-sweetened variety utilised. But 

 apart from the difficulties caused by a shortage in the supply of 

 fresh milk, there is reason to believe that some dairymen make a 

 fairly constant practice of adding diluted condensed milk to genuine 

 fresh cows' milk. 



Report to Local Government Board, New Series, No. 56, 1911. 



