Dairy Farmers of Canada has picked 13 people expert in animal nutrition and food safety to iinvestigate concerns that have been dubbed buttergate.
“The working group will set the scope of its work, not industry associations, and will follow the science wherever it may lead, so that consumers can have the utmost confidence in our work,” said Daniel Lefebvre, chief operating officer of Lactanet and chair of the group.
The working group’s work will:
• Confirm whether there are or have been changes in the characteristics of butter,
• Review the literature to assess current science as it relates to feeding of palm fat supplements to cows, milk composition, milk handling and processing techniques; and health and safety of supplements (palm),
• Identify any gaps in data or research,
• Review the level of sustainability of various types of palm fat supplements, including by-products, and
• Assess the role and nutritional value of palm fat supplements for dairy cows.
Those chosen are:
- Chairman Daniel Lefebvre, of Lactanet,
- Anthony Hanley, nutritional sciences professor from the University of Toronto,
- Richard Bazinet, nutritional sciences professor from the University of Toronto,
- David Kelton, department of population medicine, University of Guelph,
- Rachel Gervais, department of animal science, Université Laval,
- Yves Pouliot, department of food sciences, Université Laval,
- Jean-Francois Ménard, life cycle analysis expert,
- Elaine Scott, Consumers’ Association of Canada,
- Mathieu Frigon, president and CEO of the Dairy Processors Association of Canada,
- Ed Friesen, DFC board member and dairy farmer from Manitoba,
- Bita Farhang, research and development manager, Dairy Farmers of Ontario,
- Woody Siemens, BC Milk Marketing Board,
- Chantal Fleury, assistant director of economic research, Quebec Milk Producers.
