Wendy WilliamsA CONSUMER organisation has come under fire after advising shoppers to avoid 10 well known brands of milk.
The Consumers and Users Organisation (OCU) has been slammed by the government after releasing a study of 47 different makes of UHT milk that showed an ‘abysmal’ difference in quality.
The OCU even insisted that some Spanish companies were committing a ‘fraud’ in their product claims, and called on the government for stricter controls on milk.
In particular, it singled out ten brands, including Reny Picot, Puleva and Altimira, which it said were very substandard.
The Environment Ministry however, knocked down the report insisting that the industry has some of the ‘most demanding legal requirements and self-regulation in the world’.
Rigour
“It guarantees both quality and food safety and, consequently, the rights of consumers,” insisted a statement.
Now the OCU has hit back accusing the government of siding with the dairy industry without knowing the details of the study.
It stood by its study, which it insisted was carried out with full ‘scientific rigour’.
“We have not suggested that there is any risk to food safety from the milk, we have merely criticised the poor quality of the brands,” said a spokesman.
The study showed that the quality of milk sold to the consumer is actually worse now than it was 10 years ago, and that price is not an accurate reflection of quality. Among its favourite brands was Pascual, Hacendado and Covap.
