This Sustainable House

My recent foray into the world of cheese making has opened my eyes to a number of ‘issues’ that I wasn’t previously aware of. One of those is the issues of raw milk cheeses. In Australia the law insists that all cheeses, with limited exceptions, made for sale are made with pasteurised milk. The reason for the pasteurisation is to prevent pathogenic organisms getting into the cheese and, therefore, our food supply.

However those against pasteurisation claim that the pasteurisation process kills the natural flavours of cheese and the health benefits of eating/drinking a ‘living food’.

What is Pasteurisation?

According to Wikipedia, pasteurisation is;

“Pasteurization is a process which slows microbial growth in food. The process was named after its creator, French chemist and microbiologist Louis Pasteur. The first pasteurization test was completed by Louis Pasteur and Claude Bernard on April 20, 1864. The process was originally conceived as a way of preventing wine and beer from souring. Pasteurization is not intended to destroy all pathogenic micro-organisms in the food or liquid. Instead, pasteurization aims to reduce the number of viable pathogens so they are unlikely to cause disease (assuming pasteurization product is stored as indicated and consumed before its expiration date).”

There are a large number of foods that can be subjected to pasteurisation such as milk (obviously), wine, water, eggs and almonds.

What’s the BIG Deal?

Well this is also a valid question… after all, germ theory (on which pastuerisation is based) has done us a lot of good. Let us not forget that throughout humanity’s history countless people have died due to bacterial/fungal infections.

Well for me the issue is one of choice. I think that individuals should have the choice on whether they eat unpasteurised cheeses and not be dictated to. I know that some would argue that the laws are there to protect people from themselves, but honestly who wants to live with the nanny state… if you’ll excuse the pun.

I would therefore invite each of you to learn what you can about raw milk, and make up your own mind. The raw milk petition on Slow Food Australia has some great information and links to other informative sites including Food Standards Australia and New Zealand. If you, after making your choice, feel the same way as me then please sign the online petition.

The choice is yours…