Condensed Milk and Dried Milk (amendment) Regulations
The Condensed Milk and Dried Milk (England) (Amendment)
Regulations 2008 came into force on 22 February 2008. These
Regulations amend the Condensed Milk and Dried Milk (England)
Regulations 2003 and will permit the standardisation of protein
content of preserved milks – ie powdered/dehydrated, evaporated and
condensed milks. Preserved milks are primarily intended for
reconstitution with water to result in a product similar to fresh
liquid milk and are also used as an ingredient in numerous food
products.
The protein content of milk varies according to season and diet
of the cattle. Prior to this amendment, modifying the content of
preserved milk was not allowed under EU law. As milk produced in
the EU tends to have a higher protein content than milk produced in
countries outside the EU, this has placed EU producers at an
economic disadvantage as they have had to sell preserved milk with
its higher natural protein content than non-EU producers to third
party countries at the same price. The average protein level of
milk in the UK from August 2006 – August 2007 inclusive, was 37.5%.
Thus, the ability provided by this amendment to standardise this to
a standard value of 34% is particularly important when considering
the UK export market for preserved milks such as milk powders.
Furthermore, the ability to remove protein from preserved milks
will also benefit the UK industry as milk protein is a high value
commodity and any protein extracted can be used to manufacture
other dairy produce, thus providing an additional revenue stream
for the dairy industry.
The Condensed Milk and Dried Milk (England) (Amendment)
Regulations 2008 can be found at: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2008/uksi_20080085_en_1.
