Milk board wants froth

A surge in complaints from baristas has prompted the BC Milk Marketing Board to ask producers to test the foaming character of their milk prior to shipment.

“‘Non-foaming’ milk continues to appear periodically … and has escalated rather significantly since late August,” a notice to producers this week stated. “Coffee shops compete on the quality of their lattes and specialty drinks; no foam equals a loss of business.”

Neither the BC Restaurant and Foodservices Association nor the Vancouver-based Canadian Barista Academy was immediately available to provide comment on the scope of the issue.

While provincial regulations establish no standard to ensure that milk foams, BCMMB plans to monitor processor reports of non-foaming milk and hold the originating farms accountable for substandard frothiness.

The board notes that storage conditions, animal nutrition and the frequency of milking may make milk less likely to foam. Research links the enzyme activity responsible for taking the froth out of milk with reduced shelf life.

“Because of this, producers must be aware and resolve their non-foaming issues immediately or risk quality deterioration and milk rejections,” it states.

BCMMB encourages producers to purchase a frother and test the foaming qualities of their milk themselves. It offers tips on improving the foaming abilities, and encourages producers to contact provincial dairy technologist Erin Cuthbert for further information and assistance.