In the latest topic of raw milk, a child has died in Victoria, Australia. With the United States seeing a rise in the sickness outbreaks (from 30 cases in 2007-2009 rising to 51 by 2012-2012), food safety authorities are now looking more closely into this highly debated issue. Not only has Australia seen a child die, but there are another four who have fallen ill.
Under current jurisdiction, unpasteurised milk is illegal to sell for human consumption in Australia. Then you must be asking yourself, how did that child ingest raw milk? In this circumstance, the child accidentally ‘bath milk’ a shower bath made with raw milk. Since it is considered a cosmetic product, it was able to be sold. The child suffered from a haemolytic-uraemic syndrome, which affects the kidneys and the bloodstream.
The owner of the company has said that the bath milk clearly labels the milk as undrinkable but after this incident, the company will place larger labels so it becomes more obvious. Even though the owners themselves do not mind drinking raw milk, they do not intend to impose their beliefs onto the populace.
Now What Raw Milk?
From our previous post regarding raw milk being used in cheese production in Australia (https://foodsafety.net.au/blog/2014/cheesy-topic-ban-raw-milk-cheese/), it seems like there is still a long way to go for this to pass. Especially after this incident, it proves that unpasteurised milk – even in a different form – can still cause harm to the human body. Furthermore, with the death of the child, Victoria’s Australian Medical Association (AMA) are now in support of banning the use of raw milk.
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