Dairy companies kidnap the national standard and lower the quality of milk?

 

Recently, an article about China's dairy industry went viral on the Internet.
The article counted the two leading domestic dairy companies "lowering down national standards", "products are getting lighter and lighter", and "adding chemicals to milk".
, "Squeezing dairy farmers", "defrauding consumers", "toxins and unsafe" and other crimes
.
Under the "God's Assistance" declared by the Dairy Association, this article became popular on the Internet, and everyone's emotions were quickly ignited.
Many people left a message with me saying that they would not dare to drink domestic milk
.

 

Questioning the low quality of our country’s milk and hope that the improvement of the quality of our country’s milk is the voice of every consumer.
I also very much hope and support the development of our country’s dairy industry for better and better
.

 

In this aspect of business competition, I won't say too much about it
.
However, many of the contents related to food processing and standards in this article are inconsistent with the facts, and many statements do not understand the actual situation of China's dairy industry
.
If we accept it in full, it will only aggravate everyone’s panic and further weaken everyone’s confidence in our country’s milk
.
 

 

Today I will talk to you about a few issues in that article
.

 

1.
The raw milk standard is low, is it kidnapped by the company?

 

The article said that when China revised the "GB 19301-2010 National Food Safety Standard Raw Milk" in 2010, dairy companies lowered the requirements for the microbial indicators (total number of colonies) and protein content of raw milk.
The 2010 version of the national standard for raw milk reduced the protein from ≥ 2.
95 Adjust g/100g to ≥ 2.
8g/100g, and adjust the total number of colonies from 500,000 to 2 million
.
As a result, problems such as "flies flying around when milking", "China's milk going backwards for 25 years", "China's milk production standard is the worst in the world" and other issues
.
 

 

Why is there a situation where the standard is lower than that of some European and American countries? Is it really because of corporate kidnapping standards? In fact, the reason for this was a helpless choice under the national conditions at that time
.

 

(1) Total number of colonies

 

The total number of colonies is a hygienic indicator that reflects the health status of dairy cows, the hygienic status of pastures and cold chain quality control
.
At that time, there were a large number of retail dairy farmers in dairy farming in China, and they accounted for a high proportion in the country
.
Many retail households have low breeding levels, resulting in a relatively high total number of fresh milk colonies
.
The Ministry of Health pointed out in the Questions and Answers on National Dairy Safety Standards that year that at present (around 2010), the proportion of small-scale free-range dairy cows in China is relatively high.
The proportion of large-scale breeding of more than 100 cows is only 23.
1%, and the proportion of less than 5 cows is 32.
4%.
The low level results in a relatively high total number of fresh milk colonies
.
What should we do if we blindly raise the index, with so many retail dairy farmers and so many farmers?

The Ministry of Health also pointed out clearly in the "Questions and Answers to the National Standards for Dairy Safety" that year, the "Raw Milk" national standard set the indicator of the total number of colonies in line with China's development reality, can protect the interests of a large number of small and medium-sized dairy farmers, and maintain the stable development of China's dairy industry.

.

 

From the question and answer of the Ministry of Health, we can even think that the indicator was set more to protect the interests of the vast number of farmers in our country than to large enterprises
.
Of course, the problem of retail investors needs to be solved slowly, the investment is also large, and policies should also be supported and subsidized
.
The Ministry of Health pointed out in the Questions and Answers on National Dairy Safety Standards that year that since 2008 (to 2010), a total of 1.
2 billion yuan has been invested in the construction of 1,944 dairy farms (farms) with more than 200 cows
.
Here I also remind everyone that the improvement of milk quality requires a lot of investment, which means that this is not accomplished overnight, but requires a process and investment
.

 

(2) Protein

 

Protein is a quality indicator of milk, and it is related to feed, feeding technology, dairy cow breeds, lactation period, and so on
.
The protein content of raw milk is related to the feeding level and many other factors, especially the feeding amount of high-quality forage such as whole-plant corn silage and alfalfa hay has a great influence on the protein content of raw milk
.
At that time, the roughage structure in dairy cattle breeding in China was single, and the feeding rate of high-quality forage was low, so the protein content of raw milk was relatively low
.

 

The protein content of milk fluctuates at different lactation periods
.
The protein content of dairy cows is different in different lactation periods, and the protein content in the peak period is lower than that in the middle and late stages
.
The vast majority of dairy cows in China enter the peak lactation period from May to September.
This season is the hottest season.
The combined effects of two factors result in a significantly lower protein content of raw milk in summer than in other seasons
.

 

The Ministry of Health pointed out in the Questions and Answers on National Dairy Safety Standards that year that according to a survey conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture, in the summer of 2007 and 2008, the proportion of raw milk protein content of less than 2.
95 g/100 g in some northern provinces reached 75% and 90% respectively; In June, dairy companies purchased raw milk with a protein content of less than 2.
95 g/100 g in the northwest, central south, and northeast regions of 75.
8%, 33.
8%, and 24.
9%, respectively
.
If you blindly increase the protein index, what about these milks? All dumped? Still forcing farmers to add things?

 

Some opinions even believe that the reason for the melamine incident may have something to do with the high protein requirements of the standards that year
.
You should know that the original standard (2003 version) has relatively high requirements
.
Why can bad things happen when the standards are high? It is the standard itself
.
At that time, most of the milk sources came from retail households, and the quality was naturally uneven.
The overall level was definitely not high.
What should I do if it does not meet the requirements? Some dairy farmers think of melamine
.

 

Therefore, in retrospect, the low standard set at that time was a measure of rights and interests adopted in the face of the real problems of the large number of retail dairy farmers and backward technology at that time
.
However, the development of domestic pastures in recent years is obvious to all, and the quality of milk is far from what it was 10 years ago
.

 

In 2016, a survey in China showed that more than 80% of the protein content of raw milk in China reached 3.
0 g/100 g
.
The good news is that the new standard is being revised, so you can look forward to it
.

 

In fact, the formulation of a national standard will definitely involve the interests of all parties.
Enterprises, farmers, etc.
, if they are really swayed by individual dairy companies, there is no need to wait until today, 10 years later, when objections were raised long ago
.

 

 

The Ministry of Health pointed out in the "Questions and Answers on the National Standards for Dairy Safety" that year: Dairy farmers and dairy companies are the subjects of the implementation of the "Raw Milk" national standard
.
According to a survey conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture, the vast majority of dairy farmers agree with the indicator setting of the "Raw Milk" national standard
.
The national standard of "Raw Milk" is in line with the actual development of the industry, and the index setting is in line with China's national conditions.
It is conducive to improving the purchase order of raw milk, preventing malicious rejections, and protecting the interests of dairy farmers, promoting third-party testing, and promoting the healthy development of the dairy industry
.

 

2.
If the raw milk standard is low, the nutritional value of the product is poor?

 

The article has repeatedly said that the raw milk standard is low, suggesting that the quality of the finished products that consumers get has also been reduced
.
In fact, this inference is totally unrealistic
.
The raw milk standard is a raw milk, which is not directly eaten by us
.

 

The national standard GB19301-2010 clearly "this standard applies to raw milk, not to ready-to-eat raw milk"
.
From raw milk to milk or other dairy products, there is a series of processing processes in the middle
.
Therefore, everyone should not say that the milk we drink is "low quality" based on the standard of raw milk
.

 

In fact, the standard of finished milk in our country has not been lowered
.
For example, the two final milk product standards issued at the same time as the national standard for raw milk, pasteurized milk and sterilized milk, clearly require that the protein must be ≥ 2.
9g/100g
.

 

There are many people who say, why do I buy XX brand milk, its protein is 3.
2, while the two leading dairy companies have only 2.
9 for a certain product, and some even say it is 2.
8 or 2.
3
.
Please, there are many types of dairy products.
Don't always compare other people's protein with those with low protein, or even compare products that are not of the same kind
.
At least compare products with similar prices and the same product types
.
In fact, the protein in many domestic milk is above 3, and I often drink it myself
.

 

3.
The standard is low, so the milk taste fades?

 

Because the standard is low and the quality of milk is poor, the article says that the taste of milk has become weaker, and there is less and less milky taste
.
First of all, the taste of milk is a very subjective feeling
.
Due to the influence of individual differences, it is difficult to accurately describe the changes in the flavor of milk.
Different people and different times have different feelings
.
Secondly, if it is necessary to say that the milk taste becomes weaker, it may have something to do with the current homogenization of milk
.

 

Many people think that the "former milk" is squeezed or supplied directly from the farm.
When you buy it and boil it and drink it, it will also have milk skin.
It tastes very thick and thick, so it will taste strong and delicious.

.

 

In fact, the milk skin formed after the milk is boiled is the milk fat component in the milk floats up after being heated, and the protein components such as casein and whey protein in the milk are absorbed and formed on the surface of the milk
.
This does not mean that it is more nutritious and better
.

 

The milk we drink now, especially in the south, needs to be transported over long distances
.
In modern dairy processing, all raw milk undergoes one step in the production and processing process-a homogenization process
.
This process will make the fat in the milk more finely broken, thereby making the entire product system more stable, and making the milk look whiter and more delicate
.
Therefore, after homogenization and processing, the milk skin is thinner than the unprocessed raw milk, and the milk skin is invisible to the naked eye.
The taste is smoother and smoother without the sticky and heavy feeling.
, It will give everyone a feeling of "the current milk has faded
.
"

 

4.
Raw milk plus chemicals?

 

The article said that fat powder, alkaline noodles, antibiotics, melamine and other substances are added to the raw milk
.
Some of these have indeed happened in more than ten years, but it is almost impossible now; and some are not in line with the actual situation
.
For example, the method of adding fat powder is actually not feasible, even if you want to add it, it is better to add butter
.
But the price of butter is quite expensive, and it is easy to layer and not easy to disperse
.

 

Bacteria exceed the standard plus antibiotics? After the raw milk is recovered, it must be sterilized by heat treatment
.
Even if it is antibacterial, it is not to add antibiotics, it is better to add preservatives
.
Alkali neutralization has indeed been done for more than ten years, but this is mainly done by some retail investors
.
The emergence of melamine is more complicated, and we have analyzed it before.
These things happened more than ten years ago
.
Nowadays, the development of China's dairy industry has made a lot of progress, and large enterprises generally do not do this
.

 

Now dairy companies have a variety of advanced testing methods in the raw material acceptance process, and it would be too stupid to do this because it is too easy to identify
.
Moreover, after a heavy blow caused by melamine, no large company dared to continue doing this for this petty profit
.
No large company wants to be the next Sanlu
.

 

5.
Even if it is sterilized, there will be toxins?

 

Because the total number of colonies in the standard is high, the article says that “the current technology is impossible to kill bacteria completely.
” “Even if it is sterilized, there may still be toxins.
For example, cows get mastitis caused by staphylococci, and then staphylococci will enter Raw milk also produces (intestinal) toxins, causing consumers to suffer acute gastroenteritis
.
"

 

In fact, it is meaningless in itself to require the complete killing of bacteria
.
There are nearly one kilogram of bacteria in our body
.
As long as there are no pathogenic bacteria, there is no need to worry about harm
.
The same goes for dairy products
.

 

You know, lactic acid bacteria are also bacteria, and many probiotics are probiotics.
Do they all have to be killed? At present, there are two commonly used heat sterilization technologies for fresh milk processing: pasteurization and ultra-high temperature sterilization
.
As long as it is treated in accordance with the sterilization process, the safety of the product can be guaranteed
.

 

If a cow is suffering from mastitis, it is sick and the milk production will drop significantly.
At this time, it is time to treat the disease.
Regular pastures and dairy farmers will not use this abnormal milk
.
Retail investors may have done this in the past, but large companies will not do it now
.

 

Moreover, not all staphylococci produce enterotoxins
.
The main cause of enterotoxins is Staphylococcus aureus, which belongs to pathogenic bacteria
.
However, golden grapes are not arbitrarily capable of producing toxins that can cause people to be poisoned.
People must also have suitable conditions, such as the right temperature (usually around 40°C), and specific nutrients, which can only be produced after breeding to a certain amount.
Toxins
.

 

GB/T 2734 2-2009 

 

For formal production enterprises, after entering the factory, the raw milk has been stored in a refrigerated tank before processing and temporarily stored under low temperature conditions
.
The risk of Staphylococcus aureus is very low .
China's standard GB/T 27342-2009 "Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) System Dairy Product Manufacturer Requirements" requires no more than 7°C and no more than 24 hours of storage time
.

 

6.
The ban on fresh food leads to a monopoly of the market for room temperature milk?

 

The article said that because of the ban on fresh food, room temperature milk monopolized the market
.
In fact, not allowing the label "fresh" is not a big problem in itself
.

 

Fresh milk generally refers to pasteurized milk, which has a low sterilization temperature and requires refrigerated storage
.
However, from a nutritional point of view, whether it is pasteurization or room temperature milk, there is actually no big difference in nutritional value
.
There is no need to divide up
.
Which one to choose depends entirely on personal preference and convenience
.

 

However, many companies often imply that "fresh milk" is better and other milk is not good when propagating.
This practice is actually more confusing and impacting on consumers
.
This kind of use of names to crack down on other domestic dairy products is what I disdain the most
.
After all, it is difficult to drink so-called fresh milk in many southern cities and remote rural areas
.

 

The article also said that the ban on fresh milk has led to "most of the low-temperature fresh milk has been lost, and it is unable to recover.
The room temperature milk and modulated milk named after "pure milk" and "breakfast milk" have won a great victory, almost monopolizing the liquid milk market.

.
"

 

In fact, this has nothing to do with the ban on fresh food, and the greater impact is the cold chain
.
Because pasteurized milk requires low-temperature refrigeration and transportation, and China’s cold chain construction is not complete, especially in many southern cities and rural areas, the cold chain cannot cover at all.
Although there are cold chains in some places, they even Open the freezer during the day, and power off at night
.
This is the main reason why the room temperature milk market is large
.

 

7.
Dairy companies lower national standards?

 

The article said that the root cause of the problems such as poor milk quality, weak taste, and bad taste is that the two leading milk companies have revised the national standard, which set the protein index of raw milk to be particularly low, much lower than that of foreign countries, and the whole Dairy industry
.

 

In fact, this is entirely conspiracy theory
.
Regardless of logic or motivation, large companies will not want to lower the bar
.

 

The two leading large companies will not try to lower the national standard at all
.
They will not do this regardless of their economic interests or their own development .
You know, as a leading company, their production level is higher and they can do better
.
Will it be beneficial to lower the standard? This is like taking Tsinghua University and Peking University
.
All students take the test together, there are

 

There are academic masters and ordinary students
.
Xueba is like a leading company, and the standard is like a "cutting line
.
" Do you think Xueba would want to lower the score?

 

The national food safety standard is the lowest threshold for industry production
.
Do you think that large companies will want to lower the threshold so that all companies can produce at will and seize the market with themselves? Do you think big companies are fools?

 

Why does "Huawei" make 5G standards? Why does the United States impose sanctions on Huawei? It's the same reason
.
Say that everyone can understand Huawei
.
Why do you think that big companies want to lower the standard when you put it in the dairy industry?

 

8.
Can domestic milk still be drunk?

 

Finally, I still want to say that domestic milk can be drunk with confidence
.
Every year, Chinese government departments release various food sampling inspection reports, and the pass rate of dairy products is above 95%
.
I believe that everyone's safety can be guaranteed
.
As for what to choose, my suggestion is to look at your preferences and your convenience
.
(Which milk is healthier? How to choose milk healthier? 8 milk secrets everyone should know)

 

Maybe China’s dairy industry still has many imperfections, such as the backward breeding level and the large number of retail investors.
However, as in the fields of 5G and chips, I hope that the whole industry will work hard to improve, and there will be less slander and malicious competition, and the people will understand and understand more.
Support, don't be deterred from buying domestic milk by all kinds of unfounded arguments
.