DAIRY REGULATION: FAT CONTENT
According to the new dairy and imitation dairy products regulation 260, one of the important changes is that the fat classes for milk have been redefined. The new fat classes will give consumers more choice when buying dairy products. The most notable change is that a medium-ft class has been introduced. Milk in this class has a fat content of more than 1.5% to 3.3%. Previously, low-fat milk was classified as having 0.5% to 2.5% fat. According to the new definition, the fat content of low-fat milk should now be more than 0.5% to 1.5%. Therefore, 2% milk will no longer be classified as low-fat, but as 2% medium0fat milk.
Regulation 260 stipulates a minimum protein content of 3% in milk, calculated for fat-free milk. Typically, the protein content can vary between 3.2% and 3.4% across the different types of milk.
The carbohydrate (lactose) content of milk is typically 4.8% but can vary between 4.7& and 5.0% across the different types of milk.
Yes, the redefinition of the fat classes also affects other dairy products. Regulation 260 provides fat classes for dairy products such as milk, buttermilk, cultured milk (maas), yoghurt, drinking yoghurt, cottage cheese, evaporated milk and condensed milk. This means that some products formerly classified as low-fat are now classified as medium-fat products.
The Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries confirmed that Regulation 260, published in the Government Gazette on 27 March 2015, came into effect on 28 March 2016. Companies had to comply with the requirements of the new regulation by 30 September 2016. Departmental inspectors have been instructed to proceed directly to issuing seizures of non-compliant products ever since