Vocational School of Justice
MILK FOR HEALTH
As Turkey is one of the leading countries in milk production, it falls behind many European countries and America when it comes to consumption with 24 liters per person. Milk production was 570 million tons worldwide in 2014 and 19 million tons in Turkey. America took the lead with 92.7 liters of milk consumption per person and Europe followed with 67.4 liters. The experts emphasize that milk, the natural first food for babies, should be consumed by all ages, and milk consumption should increase for healthier generations.
Prof. Dr. Nazan Turhan, Head of IUE Department of Food Engineering, stated that milk was a very healthy nutrition that needed to be consumed at all ages. She said, “Mothers encourage their kids to drink milk up to a certain age. But youth especially aged 16 - 23 tend toward fizzy drinks instead of consuming milk or milk equivalents. They are not aware of the fact that their growing continues until the age of 23. Milk consumption per person in Turkey is as low as 24 liters. Whereas it is self-sufficient with regard to milk production, and milk has numerous health benefits.”
‘Izmir Leads in Milk Production’
Prof. Dr. Turhan indicated that an adult needed to consume a glass of milk daily, and milk and other dairy products contained protein, calcium, phosphor, folic acid, and vitamins A, B2, and B12. Prof. Dr. Turhan said, “Total milk production in Turkey was only 19 million tons whereas it was 570 million tons worldwide in 2014. Izmir leads the way with 1.4 million tons of milk production in the country. When it comes to milk consumption, we see that it is 67.4 liters per person in EU. In Switzerland it is 95 liters per person, in Russia 87, Austria 109, and in Germany it is 50 liters. As USA takes the lead with 92.7 liters of milk consumption per person, Turkey, unfortunately consumes 24 liters per person.”
‘Watch Out for Brucellosis’
Prof. Dr. Turhan warned against consuming loose (unpackaged) milk, and she said that cheese and similar dairy products made out of raw and unpasteurized milk caused Brucellosis (an infectious disease caused by a type of bacteria called Brucella) in people. Prof. Dr. Turhan stated the following:
"Loose milk, when under boiled, does not kill many of the germs, however, when over boiled, it loses many important nutrients such as vitamins B, C, and folic acid. Pasteurization and sterilization (Ultra-high temperature processing-UHT) are considered as heat treatment processes. They create the minimum change in the natural, biological, and nutritional values of the milk, and make the milk safe in terms of microbiology. Therefore, pasteurized and UHT milks have more nutrients than boiled milks, and can be consumed safely."