THE HYGIENIC CONDITION OF MISUSED MILK BOTTLES AFTER WASHING

SUMMARY (1) Twelve experiments in six dairies in various parts of England have shown that, when foreign matter in a milk bottle is impervious, the normal washing process delivers the ‘dirty bottle’ in an excellent hygienic condition, with a low colony count and absence of coli and milk‐souring organisms. (2) When the foreign matter is pervious a high colony count is often obtained. However, the absence of coli in these bottles suggests that even these are hardly likely to be a daoger to public health. (3) All such types of dirty bottles arise from deliberate misuse by members of the public, or at least failure to return and consequent neglect. (4) In spite of all efforts by dairy firms a misused bottle occasionally escapes detection. It is probable that as long as glass bottles are used the occasional dirty bottle will get through on rare occasions. (5) Present legislation bears harshly on dairies but ignores the real culprit. More positive measures should be adopted to prevent the misuse of milk bottles. This investigation was not undertaken at the instigation of any dairy firm or organization. This paper is an attempt to present an objective survey of the problem.