Dairy Food Safety Victoria (DFSV), the independent authority to regulate dairy food safety, has issued advice that dairy products labelled and sold for “cosmetic” purposes should be used for these purposes only and that the consumption of these products may be unsafe.
According to DFSV, there are a number of dairy products labelled as “cosmetic” which are being sold and promoted by some retailers and food markets as product which could be used for human consumption.
This is clearly a concern from a food safety perspective.
The sale of these types of unpasteurised dairy products for human consumption is prohibited under Australian food laws.
Recently, DFSV has undertaken microbiological analyses of some of these products and the results have indicated that they may have the potential to cause illness with high levels of Coliforms, Staphylococci and, in one product, the presence of Listeria — pathogens which are killed by the process of pasteurisation.
It is important that the public are made aware that consuming these types of unpasteurised dairy products may cause illness particularly in pregnant women, young children, the elderly and people that have weakened immune systems.
Furthermore, the quality control systems and hygienic practices employed in these products’ manufacture is unclear.
DFSV will continue to monitor these types of products being sold on the market so that the reputation of the Victorian dairy industry and consumer safety is assured.