2003-01-08
IN SEARCH OF THE TOP DAIRY PRODUCTS

Dairy producers are invited to enter the cream of their crop for the 2003 National Dairy Championships by Monday 3 March.
This year, Agri-Expo will once again present the National Dairy Championships as a forerunner to the SA Cheese Festival enabling dairy producers to showcase their newly crowned champion cheeses at Agri-Expo's second SA Cheese Festival at Bien Donné.

Dairy producers - ranging from farm cheese makers to national dairy producers - may enter products in six categories - butter; cheese; cottage cheese; cultured and flavoured milk; ice cream/frozen dessert and yogurt.

Entries will compete for sought-after titles, trophies and awards during adjudication at the Dairy Laboratory at Elsenburg on 18 and 19 March. Each dairy product is judged blind on appearance, colour, structure, texture and taste by a specialist panel of five judges according to the internationally-recognised 20 point system.

Dairy products that excel by scoring specified high points are honoured with a Qualité Award - the country's highest honour for excellence in the making of dairy products. Qualité Awards also serve as an endorsement of quality for the consumer.

SA Dairy champions, winners of coveted Qualité Awards and the 2003 Dairy Product of the Year will be capped at the Qualité Awards Dinner in Paarl on 23 April. Cheeses that excel at this event will be presented for tasting from 25 to 28 April at the SA Cheese Festival.

Contact Memory Kalis at Agri-Expo, tel 021 975 4440/1/2/3, fax 021 975 4446 or e-mail [email protected] for further information re the 2003 National Dairy Championships and Qualité Awards