Dairy Food Safety Victoria will be in charge of regulating the sale of unpasteurised or ‘raw’ milk, following the state government’s announced crack down on the product.
The ABC reports that Dairy Food Safety Victoria is contacting all licensed dairy farmers to inform them of the requirements of the new regulations.
"People who are producing dairy products not intended for human consumption, will clearly identify those products and make them so they are not able to be consumed, in the same way that other consmetics are treated," said Jennifer McDonald, the chief executive officer of Dairy Food Safety Victoria.
"There are a number of different ways that they can deter consumption, and a bittering agent is one of those ways."
The regulation change follows the recent death of a three-year-old child from Mornington Peninsula late last year who drank Mountain View Organic Bath Milk.
In addition, another four children aged one to four, from Melbourne’s south-eastern suburbs and the Mornington Peninsula became seriously ill after drinking other brands of unpasteurised milk.
According to McDonald, there appear to be only four Victorian producers selling ‘bath milk’. She said that all have been co-operative and her organisation is informing them about the best ways to comply with the regulations.
Health experts say that unpasteurised milk is not safe to drink because it can contain pathogenic bacteria which are harmful to humans.
Pasteurisation involves the heating of milk for a short period of time in order to destroy any such bacteria which may be present.