POLOKWANE – Generally thought to celebrate the first day milk was delivered in glass bottles, Milk Day is celebrated annually on 11 January but it soon grew to be a day dedicated to all aspects of milk.

Review spoke to dietitian, Anke van Waveren, about milk day and why the first day milk was delivered in glass bottles would be so significant.

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“Whenever you walk into a store today you will find a variety of milk products such as yoghurt, amasi and cheese, among others, readily available. This wasn’t always the case and the way milk and dairy products were delivered in the past wasn’t very sanitary. Glass bottles brought a solution to this dilemma and ensured safer and cleaner storage for milk and dairy products,” Anke explained.

“Today we have fresh or pasteurised milk, powdered milk and long life milk available and we can choose between full cream, medium fat, low fat or fat free for each type, you can even choose lactose-free milk. But what do all these choices mean to you as a consumer and which dairy product should you buy?”

According to Anke, raw milk, just as it comes from the cow, is not safe to drink and should be boiled before use.

“If raw milk has not been heat treated it may contain disease-causing bacteria,” she explained.

Look out for these different heat treatments on the milk container (nutrition composition – protein and calcium content – has not been affected by these treatments):

• Pasteurisation (fresh milk).
• Ultra-pasteurisation.
• Ultra-high temperature (UHT or long life milk).
• Sterilisation.

“Milk is also classified according to fat content: full cream, medium fat, low fat and fat free. The difference is that the fat has been removed from the full cream product through a process called centrifugation. The only nutrients found in the fat of milk are fat-soluble vitamin A and some fatty acids. Therefore, all other nutrients are unaffected and lower fat or fat free milk is as nutritious as full cream milk.”

It is important to note that energy (kJ or calories) and vitamin A content decreases with fat removal from full cream milk, therefore it is recommended that children up to two years of age consume full cream dairy products to provide sufficient energy for fast growth and development during this stage of life as well as to help prevent vitamin A deficiency, which is a big problem in South Africa.

“All types of milk are equally nutritious. You and your family will benefit from nutrients in dairy, no matter what type of milk you buy.”

For more information, find a registered dietitian in your area at www.adsa.org.za or visit www.rediscoverdairy.co.za.

maretha@nmgroup.co.za