Damon Mcknight
In Australia, it is illegal to sell unpasteurized milk, also known as raw milk, for human consumption. This is because health and regulatory agencies have deemed it more dangerous than almost any other food. The Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code requires milk to be pasteurized or put through another approved safe treatment to eliminate pathogenic bacteria that may be present. However, there is an exemption to this processing requirement that allows state and territory legislation to regulate and permit the sale of raw drinking milk. While some states have legalized the sale of raw goat's milk, no states or territories have legislated to allow the sale of raw cow's milk.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Legality of selling unpasteurized milk in Australia | Illegal |
| Legality of selling unpasteurized goat milk in Australia | Legal in Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia, and Western Australia |
| Reason for banning unpasteurized milk | Risk of harmful bacteria that can cause serious illnesses |
| Year of compulsory pasteurization of milk in Australia | 1940s |
| Process of pasteurization | Heating milk to 72°C for 15 seconds |
| Alternative method of pasteurization | High-pressure water chamber |
| Legality of unpasteurized milk products | Allowed with labels like "cosmetic milk," "bath milk," or "pet milk" and deterrents to human consumption |
| Legality of unpasteurized cheese | Allowed with strict production and testing |
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What You'll Learn
- Raw milk is deemed dangerous by health and regulatory agencies
- The sale of raw cow's milk for human consumption is illegal in Australia
- Raw goat milk is permitted for sale in four Australian states
- Pasteurisation kills harmful bacteria in milk
- Raw milk is sometimes labelled as 'cosmetic milk' or 'bath milk'
Raw milk is deemed dangerous by health and regulatory agencies
The sale of raw milk for human consumption is illegal in Australia. This is because health and regulatory agencies have deemed it more dangerous than almost any other food. The Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code (the Code) requires that milk is pasteurised or equivalently processed to eliminate pathogenic bacteria that may be present.
Raw milk can contain a variety of disease-causing pathogens, as demonstrated by numerous scientific studies. These studies, along with numerous foodborne outbreaks, clearly demonstrate the risk associated with drinking raw milk. Food safety refers to practices that can reduce the risk of getting food poisoning. Pasteurization is crucial for milk safety, killing harmful germs that can cause illness.
Consuming raw milk can lead to serious health risks, especially for certain vulnerable populations. The CDC finds that foodborne illness from raw milk especially affects children and teenagers. Vulnerable people such as pregnant women, people with reduced immune systems, the elderly or young children should not consume raw milk or raw milk cheeses as they can get seriously ill if they get food poisoning.
Raw milk advocates claim that raw milk does not cause lactose intolerance because it contains lactase secreted by “beneficial” or probiotic bacteria. However, raw milk does not contain the same types of microorganisms at similar levels that are found in yogurt. Research has shown that raw milk and pasteurized milk do not differ in their anaphylactic-sensitizing capacity when tested in both animal models and human clinical trials.
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The sale of raw cow's milk for human consumption is illegal in Australia
The Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code requires milk to be pasteurised or equivalently processed to eliminate pathogenic bacteria. However, there is an exemption that allows state and territory legislation to regulate and permit the sale of raw drinking milk. Despite this exemption, no states or territories have legislated to allow the sale of raw cow's milk. This means that the sale of raw cow's milk is effectively illegal across Australia.
Some people argue that the dangers of raw milk have been exaggerated and that it can be consumed safely. They point out that raw milk is legal in other countries like New Zealand, the UK, and the USA, and there is no widespread incidence of illness or death among raw milk drinkers in these places. Additionally, they argue that there is no credible scientific evidence to show that raw milk does not provide additional health benefits compared to pasteurised milk.
Despite these arguments, health and regulatory agencies in Australia have deemed raw milk more dangerous than almost any other food due to the risk of contamination with harmful bacteria. Modelling by Food Standards Australia New Zealand predicted that if raw milk were sold in retail outlets, it could lead to a significant number of cases of foodborne illnesses such as EHEC (an E. coli-related illness), salmonellosis, and listeriosis. As a result, the sale of raw cow's milk remains illegal in Australia, and health authorities recommend that unpasteurised milk should not be consumed.
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Raw goat milk is permitted for sale in four Australian states
The sale of raw cow's milk for human consumption is illegal in Australia. The Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code requires milk to be pasteurised or put through another approved safe treatment to eliminate pathogenic bacteria. However, raw goat milk is permitted for sale in four Australian states: Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia, and Western Australia.
The legalisation of raw goat milk in these four states demonstrates that each state and territory can choose to depart from the Code. While Victoria is not bound by the pasteurisation provisions in the Australian Food Code, it is still illegal to sell, deliver, or provide raw milk for human consumption in this state. Raw milk products labelled as 'cosmetic milk', 'bath milk', or 'pet milk' must be treated to deter human consumption and clearly labelled as not suitable for human consumption.
The sale of raw milk is banned in Australia primarily due to health and safety concerns. Health and regulatory agencies have deemed it more dangerous than almost any other food, as raw milk can be contaminated with bacteria, bugs, or germs that can cause gastrointestinal illnesses. Modelling by Food Standards Australia New Zealand predicted that if raw milk were sold in retail outlets, every 100,000 serves of 540ml to a child could result in numerous cases of EHEC (an E. coli-related illness), salmonellosis, and listeriosis. Vulnerable individuals, such as pregnant women, people with reduced immune systems, the elderly, and young children, are especially advised against consuming raw milk or raw milk cheeses as they are at a higher risk of contracting foodborne illnesses.
However, some argue that the dangers of certified raw milk have been exaggerated and that there is no widespread incidence of illness and death among raw milk drinkers in countries where its consumption is permitted, such as New Zealand, the UK, and the USA. The Australian Raw Milk Movement acknowledges that raw milk can become contaminated and cause illness, but they maintain that such events are extremely rare and that the risks associated with raw milk consumption have been overstated.
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Pasteurisation kills harmful bacteria in milk
In Australia, it is illegal to sell raw cow's milk for human consumption that hasn't been pasteurised or put through another approved safe treatment, such as high-pressure processing (HPP). This is because raw milk is more susceptible to bacterial contamination, which can cause foodborne illnesses.
Pasteurisation is a process of food preservation in which packaged foods are treated with mild heat to eliminate pathogens and extend shelf life. The process was named after French microbiologist Louis Pasteur, whose research in the 1860s demonstrated that thermal processing would deactivate unwanted microorganisms in wine.
In the case of milk, pasteurisation involves heating it to a specific temperature for a set period of time to kill harmful bacteria that can lead to diseases. The exact temperature and duration vary depending on the specific pasteurisation method being used. For example, the High-Temperature Short Time (HTST) pasteurisation method involves heating milk to 72 °C (162 °F) for 15 seconds, while batch pasteurisation uses a temperature of 63 °C (145 °F) for 30 minutes.
The pathogens destroyed by pasteurisation include Salmonella, Listeria, Yersinia, Campylobacter, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and Coxiella burnetii, among others. Pasteurisation also prevents diseases such as tuberculosis, brucellosis, diphtheria, scarlet fever, and Q-fever.
While some claim that raw milk has health benefits, these claims are not supported by scientific evidence. In fact, raw milk can cause serious illnesses, especially in vulnerable individuals such as pregnant women, the elderly, young children, and those with weakened immune systems.
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Raw milk is sometimes labelled as 'cosmetic milk' or 'bath milk'
The sale of raw cow's milk for human consumption is illegal in Australia. This is because raw milk has not been pasteurised to kill bacteria that could be harmful to humans. Pasteurisation is a simple process of heating milk to 72°C for 15 seconds, which kills any disease-causing bacteria and makes the milk safe for human consumption.
Despite the illegality of selling raw milk for human consumption, some retailers have found ways to sell it. One method is to sell a share of the herd instead of the milk itself. Another method is to label the product as 'cosmetic milk', 'bath milk', or 'pet milk'. These products are treated to deter human consumption, such as by adding a bitter flavouring, and are labelled as not suitable for human consumption.
The Australian Raw Milk Movement argues that raw milk is no more dangerous than other foods and that the risks have been exaggerated. They claim that the incidence of illness and death among raw milk drinkers in countries where it is legal is low. However, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) has deemed raw milk unsafe for human consumption, regardless of how carefully it is produced. FSANZ modelling predicted that if raw milk were sold in retail outlets, it could lead to a significant number of cases of foodborne illnesses such as salmonellosis and listeriosis.
While the sale of raw cow's milk is illegal in Australia, raw goat's milk is permitted for sale in four states: Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia, and Western Australia. Additionally, each state and territory can choose to depart from the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, and Victoria is not bound by the pasteurisation provisions in the Code.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, it is illegal to sell unpasteurized milk for human consumption in Australia.
Health and regulatory agencies have deemed it more dangerous than almost any other food. Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) claims that raw milk cannot be made safe for human consumption, regardless of how carefully it is produced.
Raw milk products sometimes labelled as 'cosmetic milk', 'bath milk', or 'pet milk' must be treated to deter human consumption (e.g. by adding a bitter flavouring) and clearly labelled to alert customers that they are not for human consumption.
