Panel to Discuss Milk Standards in Hearing

California’s milk standards will come under scrutiny today in a joint hearing held by the Senate Health and Human Services Committee and the Senate Agriculture and Water Resources Committee at 10 a.m in the New State Building, downtown Los Angeles. Nutritionists, economists and state welfare representatives will discuss the nutritional differences between California’s enriched milk and out-of-state milk and the impact on prices and public health. Public comment will be heard. Industry watchers say this is a prelude to another milk-standards battle in the state Legislature. The California Supreme Court last month agreed to review a state appeals court decision allowing out-of-state dairies to sell cheaper unenriched milk. Since 1962, state agriculture officials have required processors to enrich low-fat milk with nonfat milk solids.