Milford chronicle., 1951-04-27
Dairy Food Scored
Big Hit In 1850

Cheese and other dairy foods
scored a hit with the people of the
United States last year. The con-
sumption Of cheese per person
reached new high of ~ pounds
and gains were made in the amounts
OF fluid milk, butter, evapOrted
and condensed milk consumed per
capita.
These facts are brought out in a
special report, How Americans
Use Their Dairy Foods" which has
just been issued by the National
Dairy Council, Chicago, a non-profit
research and educational agency
for the dairy industry.
Although supplies of dairy pro-
ducts were ample in 1850. the
prospects are that not enough of
these products will be available in
1851 to satisfy Americas growing
appetite for dairy foods" Milton
Hult, President of the National
Dairy Council, observed. "The
maintenance of milk production at
levels necessary to meet increased
demand will depend upon the 1851
feed crop and pasture conditions.
the availability of farm labor and
equipment, and whether or not
dairy farmers shift to more profit
able enterprises such as the pro-
ductiOn of meat or other cOmmodi-
ties"
Mr.. Hult reported that in only
three years since the early thirties
-194S-44 and 1948-has per capita
cheese consumption failed to in
crease over the preceding year.
Two of those years were war years
when cheese was ratiOned.
The per person use Of market
milk and cream in 1850 was equal
to 393 pounds of milk, an amount Is
percent above the prewar level and
few pounds over the per capita
figures for 1949 and 1948, he said
Aided by higher consumer incomes,
sales of fresh fluid milk were
greater during 1850 than in 1949.
In 80 Federal order markets, sales
Of whole milk were greater in each
of the first 10 months of 1850,
months of which data were avail
able, than the corresponding period
of 1949.
Consumption of butter per person
increased slightly in 1850 over 1949
from 105 to 1913 pounds. Produc-
tiOn of butter in 1851 is unlikely to
equal that of last year and the car
ryOver from 1850 probably will not
be sufficient to permit consumption
to increase this year at the 1850
rate, he stated.
Increases were registered in ice !
cream sales during the first and
last quarters of 1850 but cool wea-
ther in many areas during July and !
reduced consumption and
more than Offset these gains. Ice
cream consumption normally re-
spends quickly to income changes
and is expected to expand in 1851,
Mr.. Hult stated
EvapOrated and condensed milk
consumption increased percent
last year over 1949. The per capita
consumption was 17.8 pounds of
evaporated and 2.1 pounds of con-
densed milk in 1850 compared with
III and 1.9 pounds, respectively in
l949. A further small increase may
occur in 1851, according to Mr..
Hult.
Production of Debated dry milk
increased to record levels in 1850.
Domestic consumption remained at
81 pounds per capita. In the year
ending June 80, 1850, exports Of dry
milk accounted for more than a
-hird of the total production.
Nr. Hult emphasized that the re-
all prices of fluid milk and other
larry foods have risen less over
)re-WOrld War II levels than the
prices of most other food products,
lccOrding to the Bureau of Labor
Between August Is, 1899 and Jan
larry Is, 1851 he said, meats rose
1873 per cent in price; beverages.
)ther than milk, went up 1853 per
'ent; fish, 246.7 per cent; fruits
md vegetables, 1917 per cent, and
Ill foods, 13 per cent In contrast,
he price Of milk delivered to homes
'Ose only 81 per cent and dairy
PRODUCTS as a whole increased only
17.6 per cent.
He concluded that dairy foods are
till among the best bargains for
he family market basket