{"id":91916,"date":"2014-12-11T19:34:08","date_gmt":"2014-12-11T09:34:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=91916"},"modified":"2020-08-20T17:55:43","modified_gmt":"2020-08-20T07:55:43","slug":"toddler-dies-after-drinking-raw-milk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2014\/12\/11\/toddler-dies-after-drinking-raw-milk\/","title":{"rendered":"Toddler Dies After Drinking Raw Milk"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Dr<\/a>
Queensland\u2019s Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

December 11, 2014<\/strong><\/p>\n

Consumer demand for raw milk for its alleged “benefits” is alarming health authorities, particularly following the recent death of a toddler in Victoria.<\/p>\n

The three-year-old, from the Mornington Peninsula, died after allegedly drinking raw, unpasteurised milk which had been labelled and sold as “bath milk”.<\/p>\n

It is illegal to sell raw milk as a food product.<\/p>\n

Advocates of raw milk claim pasteurised milk has been linked to food allergies, diabetes and autism.<\/p>\n

However,\u00a0Aloysa Hourigan, a senior nutritionist with Nutrition Australia, told the ABC today there was no evidence pasteurisation was harmful in any way.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Queensland’s Chief Health Officer, Chief Health Officer Dr Jeannette Young, urged Queenslanders not to drink raw milk.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAs 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,\u201d Dr Young said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll 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.<\/p>\n

“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.<\/p>\n

“For this reason, I would also not recommend people bathe in the milk.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI have previously issued warnings about consuming this product, and it has been proven that the risks are substantial,\u201d Dr Young said.<\/p>\n

There is no way of telling by taste, sight or smell whether raw milk contains harmful bacteria.<\/p>\n

External links:<\/strong><\/p>\n