Imprimir Republish

Sem categoria

For healthy milk

It is estimated that half of the dairy products consumed in the country are clandestine, produced without the hygienic conditions that would prevent the transmission of illness causing bacteria – in São Paulo, which doesn't just manufacture, but also imports, the percentage tends to be higher, says the biologist Airton Viola, of the Institute of Food Technology (Ital), of Campinas. “In the case of the soft cheeses of the type minas fresco and half cured, the major part comes from the south of the state of Minas Gerais.”

The background of these products was examined during the first phase of the project that the Ital has been developing jointly with the Coordination for the Defense of Farming, with financial support from FAPESP. “We have already perceived that their are serious problems, such as the presence of coliform bacteria, fragments of insects and hairs of rodents in the cheeses”, explains the biologist, who is the research coordinator. The Ital carried out the physical analyses that detected dirt in the cheeses, and also the microbiology analyses.

If it is approved for the second phase, the project will expand on its number of samples, to include milks, yogurts and fermented milk (liquid milk accounts for 50% of the consumption of dairy products, against 20% of powdered milk, 20% of cheeses and 10% in the making of yogurts and other derivatives). The inspection, which up until now has limited itself to the municipality of Campinas will also be expanded into other localities. Consequently, at the end of the project, in two years time, they expected to have produced complete statistics on the illegal commerce of milk products in the state, which will facilitate the establishment of agreements with businesses.

Furthermore, the creation of the Agency for the Defense of Farming – if approved by the Legislative Assembly – will cut the red tape of the work, pressurizing, among other things, the contraction of inspectors and the purchase of equipment. “But it's not enough just to inspect”, says Mônica Martini, the substitute director of the Center of Analysis and Diagnosis of the Coordination of the Defense of Farming. “We need to invest as well in campaigns to awaken the conscience of the consumers.”

Republish