Kiwis embrace raw milk vending machines

Saturday, August 24, 2013 by: Sue Woledge
Tags: raw milk, vending machines, New Zealand

(NaturalNews) While their neighbors in Australia are still unable to legally buy raw milk for human consumption, New Zealand has followed in the footsteps of Europe, embracing a brand new industry which supplies Kiwis with raw milk that's now available twenty four hours a day from vending machines.

Since the 1950's, when pasteurization was introduced, New Zealand law has allowed raw milk to be sold from the farm gate with a restriction of five liters per person. Now after discovering popular vending machines being used to distribute raw milk in Europe, New Zealand farmers are following suit and installing their own vending machines to supply raw milk to those Kiwis who have discovered the benefits that come from drinking it.

Meanwhile, the raw milk versus pasteurized debate continues to rage not only in Australia, but also in the USA with government health authorities in both countries adamant that raw milk is dangerous to human health and committed to keeping it outlawed. Both countries have recently seen raids on farmers and others who choose to distribute or sell raw milk; however, demand for the product continues to grow.

An interesting twist to the story is that when it comes to food regulation, both New Zealand and Australia are ruled by one body: Food Standards Australia & New Zealand (FSANZ). However, the situation is that while New Zealanders can legally buy raw milk for human consumption, across the Tasman, raw milk has to be sold as 'bath milk' to Australian consumers to get around laws, and suppliers have to be careful to ensure their customers 'understand' that it is for cosmetic use only. Any admission to the milk being used for human consumption can lead to prosecution with one market stall owner being fined $184,000 after an undercover operation caught one of his customers on film admitting that they were buying the milk to drink.

In Europe, it is a very different story, with raw milk and other raw dairy products readily available and a large percentage of Europeans continuing to consume the raw dairy products, which are a traditional part their culture and cuisine.

Now, in New Zealand, the future is looking brighter for farmers who choose to supply raw milk, and their customers, as the new vending machines are rolled out, making raw milk more readily available to a growing customer base.

The Benefits Of Raw Milk Are Many

Those who prefer raw milk over the more commonly consumed pasteurized varieties do so for many reasons, not the least of which are the proven benefits to health. A British study of farmer's children found that even occasional consumption of raw milk could have powerful health benefits. These include:

*Less eczema - reduced by 40%
*Less hayfever - reduced by 10%
*Less asthma
*Less allergies
*Lower levels of immunoglobulin E (IgE)
*Lower levels of histamine

Other reasons that raw milk drinkers give for their preference are superior taste, sustainable and organic farming methods and animal welfare, as the small herds of dairy cows used to produce raw milk are generally taken care of in a more traditional way than the large herds of cows milked on factory farms for commercial milk production.

So, as the people of New Zealand and Europe visit their local vending machine to buy their daily supply of raw milk, Australians and Americans can only continue trying to lobby politicians and make their voices heard while hoping that, one day, scientific evidence and common sense will win over, and they will have the choice to feed themselves and their families raw milk - legally.

Sources for this article include

http://www.naturalnews.com

http://www.dailymail.co.uk

http://au.news.yahoo.com

http://www.3news.co.nz

http://www.stuff.co.nz

http://www.scoop.co.nz

http://www.abc.net.au

http://science.naturalnews.com

About the author:
Sue Woledge is a natural therapist, writer and the owner of www.ahealthymeal.com and here.