December 11, 2014
Consumer demand for raw milk for its alleged “benefits” is alarming health authorities, particularly following the recent death of a toddler in Victoria.
The three-year-old, from the Mornington Peninsula, died after allegedly drinking raw, unpasteurised milk which had been labelled and sold as “bath milk”.
It is illegal to sell raw milk as a food product.
Advocates of raw milk claim pasteurised milk has been linked to food allergies, diabetes and autism.
However, Aloysa Hourigan, a senior nutritionist with Nutrition Australia, told the ABC today there was no evidence pasteurisation was harmful in any way.
She said there was also no strong evidence that raw milk provided any added health benefits as the vitamins and minerals in milk were not altered by the pasteurisation process.
During pasteurisation, dangerous bacteria such as salmonella, E Coli, campylobacter and listeria are killed when the milk is briefly heated. No chemicals or medicines are used.
Queensland’s Chief Health Officer, Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young, urged Queenslanders not to drink raw milk.
“As bath milk is not for human consumption it is not a food and therefore not bound by the labelling requirements of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code,” Dr Young said.
“All unpasteurised milk products in Australia are required to be labelled with a statement to the effect that the product has not been pasteurised and is not for human consumption.
“People who do consume unpasteurised milk are at increased risk of infection due to pathogens in the milk that are capable of causing severe illness and potentially death.
“For this reason, I would also not recommend people bathe in the milk.”
Dr Young said she supported calls for unpasteurised milk to be banned and, at the very least, believed it should be sold in child-proof packaging.
“I have previously issued warnings about consuming this product, and it has been proven that the risks are substantial,” Dr Young said.
There is no way of telling by taste, sight or smell whether raw milk contains harmful bacteria.
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