Raw Milk:
Does It Do A Body Good?
Sarah McLean
Swinburne
What is raw milk?
- Milk that has not been pasteurised or equivalently heat
treated
- Pasteurisation is the process of heating milk to 72oC for
15 seconds in order to kill bacteria
- Some raw milk proponents believe that pasteurisation
causes detrimental effects
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Reported benefits of drinking raw milk
- Enhanced nutritional properties
- Enhances immunity
- Cures lactose intolerance and allergies
- Prevents asthma
- Cures skin conditions
- Reduces behavioural problems
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Swinburne
Known health risks
- Many disease outbreaks attributed to consumption of raw
milk
- Major culprits include Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp.,
Campylobacter spp. and Listeria monocyotegenes
- Bacterial pathogens do not affect taste / smell /
appearance of milk
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Raw milk in Australia
- The sale of raw milk for human consumption is
prohibited
- Loopholes exist
- Bath milk
- Pet food
- Cow shares schemes
- FSANZ Proposal P1007 - Primary production and
processing requirements for dairy (raw milk) products
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Risk assessment framework
- Three categories of raw milk products have been defined
according to risk
Category 1:
Products with processes that will
eliminate pathogens present in raw milk

Category 2:
Products that may allow survival of
pathogens but will not support growth
?
Category 3:
Products that are likely to allow survival
and may support growth of pathogens
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What’s in Victorian raw milk?
Table 1. Presence of bacterial pathogens in Victorian raw milk
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Survival of L. monocytogenes in raw milk
Figure 2. Growth of L. monocytogenes in raw milk at low temperatures
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Survival of E. coli O157:H7 in raw milk
Figure 1. Growth of E. coli O157:H7 in raw milk at low temperatures
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What now?
- What bacteria can be found in our raw milk and does this
vary according to season?
- What happens if pathogens are found that have a low
infectious dose?
- Is there a difference between bulk tank and farmstead raw
milk?
- What happens after purchase?
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