KLIM (Nestlé)
Encyclopedia
KLIM is a brand of powdered milk
under the Nestlé
stable, acquired in 1998 from Borden, which is popular world-wide, particularly in Central America
and is incorporated as a staple in Hispanic recipes in the United States
. Its name comes from spelling "milk
" backwards, and early ads featured the slogan "Spell it backwards."
In 1920 KLIM was a product of Merrell-Soule Company in Syracuse, New York
which in 1907 had improved the spray drying method patented by Robert Stauf in 1901 by starting with condensed milk instead of regular milk.
In 1927 Borden acquired the Merrell-Soule Company gaining the KLIM brand and None Such Mincemeats, both already made popular world-wide.
During World War II, KLIM was initially adopted as part of the U.S. Army Jungle ration
. As one officer noted, "That quite dense milk powder kept safely for years if its stout can was unopened, and for at least a week in jungle heat if taken out and kept in a waterproof bag". KLIM was later issued by the Red Cross to prisoners of war, particularly those held in German prison camps, in order to increase caloric intake. In the book Under The Wire
, William Ash (pilot) and Brendan Foley
tell how WWII prisoners of war removed the bottoms from the tins and hooked them together to form airtight pipes to provide air while digging escape tunnels.
According to renowned British author J. G. Ballard, KLIM was included in American relief supplies dropped over Shanghai, China, and the surrounding countryside following the Japanese surrender in August 1945. The cans of powdered milk, along with tinned SPAM, chocolate bars, and cartons of Lucky Strike cigarettes, are mentioned in Ballard's novel, Empire of the Sun
, and his autobiography, Miracles of Life
. As a teenager, the author was interned for two years and five months in the Lunghua Civilian Assembly Center
(http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lunghua_Civilian_Assembly_Center&oldid=307747006), a euphemistically-named prison camp that housed (according to Ballard) approximately 2000 British, Belgian and Dutch civilians, including 300 children, along with 30 American merchant seamen.
Powdered milk
Powdered milk is a manufactured dairy product made by evaporating milk to dryness. One purpose of drying milk is to preserve it; milk powder has a far longer shelf life than liquid milk and does not need to be refrigerated, due to its low moisture content. Another purpose is to reduce its bulk for...
under the Nestlé
Nestlé
Nestlé S.A. is the world's largest food and nutrition company. Founded and headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland, Nestlé originated in a 1905 merger of the Anglo-Swiss Milk Company, established in 1867 by brothers George Page and Charles Page, and Farine Lactée Henri Nestlé, founded in 1866 by Henri...
stable, acquired in 1998 from Borden, which is popular world-wide, particularly in Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
and is incorporated as a staple in Hispanic recipes in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Its name comes from spelling "milk
Milk
Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...
" backwards, and early ads featured the slogan "Spell it backwards."
History
KLIM was developed as a dehydrated whole milk powder for use in tropical regions, where ordinary milk tended to quickly spoil. It soon became a staple of scientific explorers, geologists, soldiers, and other jungle travelers who needed a lightweight dry ration that would keep for several days in high heat and humidity, even when decanted from its container.In 1920 KLIM was a product of Merrell-Soule Company in Syracuse, New York
Syracuse, New York
Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...
which in 1907 had improved the spray drying method patented by Robert Stauf in 1901 by starting with condensed milk instead of regular milk.
In 1927 Borden acquired the Merrell-Soule Company gaining the KLIM brand and None Such Mincemeats, both already made popular world-wide.
During World War II, KLIM was initially adopted as part of the U.S. Army Jungle ration
Jungle ration
The Jungle Ration was a dry, lightweight United States military ration developed by the U.S. Army in World War II for soldiers on extended missions in tropical regions.-Origins, development, and use:...
. As one officer noted, "That quite dense milk powder kept safely for years if its stout can was unopened, and for at least a week in jungle heat if taken out and kept in a waterproof bag". KLIM was later issued by the Red Cross to prisoners of war, particularly those held in German prison camps, in order to increase caloric intake. In the book Under The Wire
Under the Wire
Under the Wire is the third solo album by dobro player Jerry Douglas, released in 1986 . It was his first release on the MCA label...
, William Ash (pilot) and Brendan Foley
Brendan Foley
Brendan Foley is an Irish writer, film producer and director.He grew up in Belfast, Northern Ireland and has written feature scripts for companies in UK, US, Canada, South Africa and Thailand. He wrote and produced the 2005 thriller Johnny Was, starring Vinnie Jones, Eriq La Salle and Patrick Bergin...
tell how WWII prisoners of war removed the bottoms from the tins and hooked them together to form airtight pipes to provide air while digging escape tunnels.
According to renowned British author J. G. Ballard, KLIM was included in American relief supplies dropped over Shanghai, China, and the surrounding countryside following the Japanese surrender in August 1945. The cans of powdered milk, along with tinned SPAM, chocolate bars, and cartons of Lucky Strike cigarettes, are mentioned in Ballard's novel, Empire of the Sun
Empire of the Sun
Empire of the Sun is a 1984 novel by J. G. Ballard which was awarded the James Tait Black Memorial Prize. Like Ballard's earlier short story, "The Dead Time" , it is essentially fiction but draws extensively on Ballard's experiences in World War II...
, and his autobiography, Miracles of Life
Miracles of Life
Miracles of Life is an autobiography written by British writer J. G. Ballard and published in 2008.-Overview:The book describes Ballard's childhood and early teenage years in Shanghai in the 1930s and the early 1940s, when the city is ravaged by the Second Sino-Japanese War and W.W.II...
. As a teenager, the author was interned for two years and five months in the Lunghua Civilian Assembly Center
Lunghua Civilian Assembly Center
Lunghua Civil Assembly Centre was one of the internment camps eventually established by the Empire of Japan in Shanghai for European and American citizens, who had anyway been resident under Japanese occupation since December 1941. James Graham Ballard was interned in the camp as an adolescent...
(http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lunghua_Civilian_Assembly_Center&oldid=307747006), a euphemistically-named prison camp that housed (according to Ballard) approximately 2000 British, Belgian and Dutch civilians, including 300 children, along with 30 American merchant seamen.