Raw milk

Overview

Raw milk is milk that has not undergone a pasteurisation process to kill any bacteria that might be present. It is illegal to sell raw milk for human consumption in Australia.

Raw milk and raw milk products may come from a number of milking animals including cow, goat, sheep, buffalo, horse and camel.

Milk is a highly perishable product and is an ideal medium for the growth and multiplication of harmful microorganisms that can cause disease.

Unpasteurised milk presents an increased risk of contamination with bacteria and does not provide any dietary advantage compared with pasteurised milk.

The treatment of milk and milk products to destroy pathogens is required by the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code (the Food Standards Code) with very few exceptions. It is an important public health and food safety measure supported by scientific studies around the world and in Australia.

Risks  

People who consume raw milk are at an increased risk of severe illness and potentially death. This is because raw milk is known to carry several disease-causing organisms including:  

• Campylobacter jejuni (campylobacteriosis)
• Salmonella
• Listeria monocytogenes (listeriosis)
• Escherichia coli (E. coli)
• Cryptosporidium  
• Staphylococcus aureus.

Complications from bacteria that can contaminate these products can be extremely severe, such as Haemolytic Uraemic Syndrome (HUS) caused by Shiga toxigenic E. coli which can result in renal failure and death in otherwise healthy people.

Effect of pasteurisation

The nutrient value of milk is generally unaffected by pasteurisation. Aside from 10% loss in vitamin C, the rest of the vitamins in milk are not affected by pasteurisation. Also, the main milk enzymes lactoferrin, lacto peroxidase, and lysozyme are highly active after pasteurisation.

Laws in NSW  

It is illegal to sell raw milk as a food in Australia.

In NSW, all milk sold (except goats’ milk) must be pasteurised. Unpasteurised goats’ milk is only permitted subject to compliance with the dairy food safety scheme and an advisory statement that the milk is unpasteurised must be included on the product.

The pasteurisation of milk and manufacturing of other dairy produce is administered under the NSW Food Regulation 2015 and the Food Act 2003.

Raw milk cheeses

Manufacture of raw milk cheeses for human consumption must be approved by the relevant state authority (for businesses in NSW, this is the NSW Food Authority).

There are a number of steps and scientific trials that cheese makers wishing to manufacture raw milk cheese must go through in order to demonstrate compliance with food safety standards. The maturation of the cheese must meet certain time, temperature and water content requirements, a process which has a similar effect to pasteurisation in reducing pathogens. Due to the cost, time and high level of technical expertise required to manufacture raw milk cheese products, this activity is prohibitive to many cheese makers making it a niche and expensive market.  

Licence applications for the production of raw milk cheese must be accompanied by a completed Raw Milk Cheese Production Pro Forma (PDF, 590 KB).

Raw milk in cosmetics

It is an offence to supply or sell any raw milk products, such as soaps or bath wash, unless it has been treated, packaged, labelled and presented in a manner that deters human consumption and could not reasonably be mistaken for food.  

If retailers choose to stock raw milk products, the products must not be packaged or displayed in a similar way to that of pasteurised milk for human consumption, for example, bath milk displayed in refrigerators next to pasteurised products. This can lead to consumer confusion and purchase of the product believing that it is a food that can be safely consumed. Consumers are urged to not consume raw cows’ milk products.

See also Changes to retail sales raw milk products in NSW (PDF, 240 KB)