Rising demand for raw milk puts pressure on suppliers
RAW milk has long been a dietary staple for Kiwi farm kids. Now a wholefood fad spilling into the capital has created a well-heeled market for the restricted product.
A Wellington-based supplier says he has been fielding a query a day from city dwellers keen to get their hands on non-pasteurised milk.
Public servant Wendy Adams longs to be able to buy raw milk from the supermarket. She makes artisan cheeses from raw milk – but as sales are restricted to five litres a day at the farmgate, it can be hard to come by.
The product has come under the microscope as the Ministry for Primary Industries enters the final stages of a review of its sale.
Restrictions are based on food safety concerns as unpasteurised milk products can carry bugs, including listeria, e.coli, salmonella and campylobacter.
However, the appetite for raw milk is strong in the capital. ‘‘I think as long as people understand the health risks, they should be able to make their own decisions and educate themselves,’’ Mrs Adams said.
‘‘There are so many more products in your kitchen that pose risks that you eat all the time.’’
Holistic nutrition advocate Ian Gregson, of the Weston A Price Foundation, said he received queries every day from Wellingtonians seeking raw milk suppliers.
Consumers wanted natural milk’s benefits, he said. ‘‘Once you have pasteurised milk, the essential elements of what makes it healthy are diluted and the milk itself has become worthless as a nutrient.’’
Consumers’ claims that raw milk helps to alleviate allergies and eczema are being taken seriously by Massey University re- searchers who are leading a $1.2 million project to determine whether they have any weight.
Whatever the outcome, MannaCow sharemilker Andrew Martin said the demand from Wellington kept growing.
‘‘We get regular interest from customers. We’ve had steady growth for the past couple of years, and it just keeps gathering momentum. It seems like people’s thinking about food is changing.’’
The newly formed Raw Milk Producers’ Association plans to create a code of practice to assure consumers its product is safe, amid a ‘‘tidal wave’’ of interest, according to president Ray Ridings.
In the past two years 55 New Zealanders have been admitted to hospital for food poisoning linked to raw milk products, according to the ministry.
‘‘I think most producers are doing a good job, but with a surge in interest from the cities, we have to be confident of our standards because these people have not been exposed to rural antibodies,’’ Mr Ridings said.
Food Safety Minister Nikki Kaye said the industry review responded to a growing demand for wholefoods. ‘‘I want people to have a choice, but this has to be balanced with sound food safety legislation and regulation.’’