TARIK TEZEL: IF UHT MILK WERE HARMFUL, IT WOULD BE PROHIBITED

Turkey Milk, Meat, Food Industrialists and Producers Association (SETBİR) Chairman Tarık Tezel said that suggesting to boil the milk in a pot means ‘endangering human life'.

Stating that raw milk contains hazards that disrupt the health of people and cause diseases, Tarık Tezel said: "The way to get rid of the disease-causing bacteria in raw milk has been clear since 1862, called pasteurization. French scientist Louis Pasteur invented this method for 157 years to protect people from deadly diseases that can be transmitted from raw milk. It should not be forgotten that boiling in a pot at home does not pasteurize raw milk and does not purify the bacteria causing disease. Claiming that means putting human life into danger. As a matter of fact this is a crime in our country and also across the world."

“UHT would be banned if it were harmful”

Pointing out that in dairy industry, in addition to pasteurization, other heat treatment technologies, especially UHT, are also used to purify raw milk from disease-causing bacteria and extend its shelf life, Tezel noted: "Certain circles claim that UHT technology eliminates the benefit of drinking milk. If this were true, both the FAO and the public authority in our country, in particular the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, would prohibit UHT milk production. UHT is not a technology that reduces the benefit of milk, but rather protects it."

“Our milk is healthy, but their knowledge is dirty!”

Tezel concluded: "Unfortunately, although they have undergone scientific education in our country today, some people, even though they are not experts, discourage the milk and dairy products produced by the industry at every opportunity and encourage the consumer to drink raw milk, make yogurt at home and consume unpackaged products. Our milk is healthy but their knowledge is dirty. This information pollution, if not avoided, can lead to developments threatening public health. Milk is health, but pasteurized, heat treated, hygienic packaging and milk and milk products are healthy. Unpasteurized, non-heat treated raw milk and any pasteurized raw milk sold on the street is risky and inconvenient."