Experts urge people not to drink raw milk as products pushed online

Medical experts are warning people of the dangers of drinking raw milk, with some products being pushed in online communities and marketed and sold for "cosmetic" and pet use.

Raw milk is animal milk that has not undergone pasteurisation, a process of heating food to remove bacteria and other contaminants from the product before it can be sold for commercial use.

The sale of raw cow's milk for human consumption is banned in all Australian state and territories, but in some it can be purchased as "bath milk" or pet food.

Australian Medical Association Queensland president Erica Gannon said no matter how raw milk is produced, there is no way to guarantee it is safe.

She said raw milk products can contain bacteria like salmonella, E. coli, staph, campylobacter and listeria.

"Those most vulnerable to illness … are going to be young children, elderly patients, people with underlying health problems, and those who may have compromised immune systems," she said.

Professor Gannon said there was no credible scientific evidence to suggest that raw milk provides health benefits beyond those of regular milk.

"We certainly don't want to see tragic outcomes because of something that could have potentially been completely preventable."

A spokesperson for Queensland Health urged consumers to "use products as per their intended use and not consume raw milk products".

"Pasteurisation has a minimal effect on the nutrient value of milk and is an important public health measure supported by scientific studies around the world."

Why are people drinking raw milk?

A recent national survey of 1,229 people by the Food Safety Information Council found about one-in-six respondents consume raw milk sold as cosmetic or pet milk.

Communications expert Susan Grantham at Griffith University said there was money to be made in pushing raw milk as a health product for consumption.

"We're human beings, we're looking for quick fixes … and health and wellbeing in particular require long-term gains, but we want quick gains," Dr Grantham said.

She said social media algorithms were particularly adept at reinforcing ideas tailored to the user's specific interests.

"So when you look at aspects of this kind of influence occurring in that space, you can see how particular influencers and content creators are pushing certain products and certain ideas."

The siloed nature of social media means people interested in consuming raw milk may never seek expert advice, she said.

"It's a battle of who gets seen by who and who gets believed," she said.

Education and enforcement

Dr Grantham said recent moves like the digital duty of care were a step in the right directions but urged policymakers to "stop trying to fix things with regulation and legislation" and focus on education.

"No one has yet been able to tackle this really well to prepare that next generation for how to navigate all of this information with a lot of it being misinformation, disinformation," she said.

Professor Gannon said AMAQ wanted to see better enforcement of regulations around the marketing and sale of raw milk products.

"We do see so many different things coming across social media with mis- and disinformation," she said.

"So it's important that we get the education out there that it's not a benign thing to do to consume raw milk … that those laws are in place for a reason."

"Because this is preventable and we certainly don't want to see any tragic outcomes because people have decided to make a quick amount of money selling a product."