Raw, unpasteurized milk directly from the cow is considered a dangerous food in the United States and Canada. Yet, all across Europe, this probiotic and enzyme-rich traditional food that has nourished humans for millennia is available via vending machines that conveniently dispense its healthful freshness from stainless steel refrigerators.
I recently returned from a 10-day culinary swing through Italy (sponsored by the amazing company Jovial Foods) where I made use of two of these vending machines to supply myself and my son with the delicious frothiness that only raw milk provides. Below is a short video my son filmed while I was loading up at one of the 17 raw milk machines serving the small city of Modena, Italy alone.
One of the raw milk machines I used during our travels was right next to a school! The farmer delivered and filled the raw milk vending machine every morning at 6 am so the children had easy access to the freshest and most healthful of beverages each and every day.
Such smart Italians to provide schoolchildren with a truly healthy beverage to optimally grow their minds and bodies available with the push of a button! This is innovation at its best – delivering the most traditional and nourishing of foods to the next generation harnessing modern technology as servant.
This in stark contrast to the vending machines available in American schools that dispense obesity-promoting sodas and processed fruit juices sweetened with GMO sugar or high fructose corn syrup and loaded with additives. Even supposedly healthier options are little better as pasteurized milk cartons from GMO fed, confined cows are so devoid of nutrition that synthetic vitamins must be added to pad the nutrition label. What’s worse, the pasteurized milk options geared toward children in vending machines are typically sweetened with GMO sugar or even aspartame!
Over 1000 Raw Milk Machines in Italy Alone
According to the “milk maps” website designed by Andrea Verlicchi, hundreds of small family farms currently supply around 1,300 raw milk vending machines in Italy alone (1). These machines have been dispensing raw milk for years!
If raw milk was truly as dangerous as the United States and Canadian authorities claim, wouldn’t there have been a serious outbreak of food-borne illness with deaths involved by now? The truth is that Big Dairy doesn’t want the public to have easy access to raw milk because this would require local delivery networks that would keep the profits within the community which would crowd out massive and highly profitable corporate distribution channels. Hence, an army of highly paid dairy lobbyists twists the arms of government bureaucrats and legislators to demonize this healthful food ironically under the guise of “protecting” the public health.
The truth is that statistics provided by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) prove raw milk safety. Ted Beals MD examined CDC figures for foodborne illness for the entire population of the United States and found that a person is about thirty-five thousand times more likely to get sick from other foods than from raw milk (2). “It is irresponsible for senior national government officials to oppose raw milk, claiming that it is inherently hazardous,” says Dr. Beals. “There is no justification for opposing the sale of raw milk or warning against its inclusion in the diets of children and adults.”
Clearly, the entire continent of Europe sides with Dr. Beals.
This is where you get to decide. If raw milk is good enough for Queen Elizabeth who had bottles of it delivered to her grandsons William and Harry at boarding school (3), isn’t it good enough for your family too?
Click here for a raw milk finder to locate a grass-based dairy farm near you. While not as convenient and accessible as it is in Europe, raw milk is legal to obtain in most states in America although you will probably have to go out of your way to get it (hint: it is worth the effort!).
Is this milk pasteurised ? I am from a company dooddhbhandaar from India and we have just started to provide 100 pure non adulterated raw and fresh milk in our city. We are not pasturasing the milk . Can you guide us with this vending machine concept . It’s a humble request and it would be a great help . We are uplifting the farmers and eliminating the rust of product quality for the consumers . Ping me on mail. Thank for your blog on this .
Tracey,
in order for “Probiotics” to work, you need to take “Prebiotic’s”
I live in Ca, Usa, and I cannot find anyone that sells Organic pastured Bones for Bone broth, for under $100.00!!!
But it is easier to get Raw milk. That said, in order to get it I have to join a group that buys the whole cow, then I can get the Raw Milk!
either join up with local farmers, small farmers, or begin yourselves…we need to learn how to live on our own as we once did in this country.
people can join together and have herd shares with cows for raw milk and beef…people can raise piges and do thier own butchering…you just have to be creative and search around…maybe have to drive a long ways, but there are people doing this and selling these products…it aint easy, but the rewards are great.
wish you the best !
it takes real effort to get back to this lifestyle…but you can do it, one thing at a time or two !
sont let discouragement get you down..keep searching…its out there..
My brother moved back to Europe about 10 years ago (Poland – we came to the US in 1981). He’s lucky enough that his neighbor has dairy cows and provides them with all the raw milk they can use. So many things you can do with it!
I live in Italy and use these machines to get my raw milk regularly. However, they are not ‘everywhere’ but are concentrated in rural areas where the farms are. You will not find them in the center of large cities like Milan or Rome so, it’s an effort to get to them. Also, most Italians I know are scared of raw milk and believe they will get sick from it. So, 1300 machines in a country with a population of 60 million is not very much.
Lastly, the vending machines where I get my milk specifically warn against reusing plastic bottles because they are difficult to clean properly. They recommend glass bottles and for 50 cents you can also buy the glass bottle from the machine. That’s what I do and I just bring along my clean glass bottles when I need more milk.
One raw milk machine I used had plastic bottles for sale in a vending machine next to it. This was the raw milk machine next to a school.
Also, 1300 machines in a country not much bigger than my home state of Florida is extremely concentrated! Consider that in the United States, it is estimated that 3% of the population drinks raw milk and there are about 2000 raw milk producers in the entire country. Therefore, in Italy, it is clearly much more widespread. One other thing .. these machines I used were in cities, on the outskirts of the city, yes, but not in completely rural or isolated areas.
hi all,
I dont know why every one is so in love with milk. First, as humans we did not evolve on cow milk.We consume cow milk for several thousand years only, and our gut evolution??? it goes in millions of years.Next in order for cow to produce milk it has to get pregnant and then Nature takes over. Now days cows are artificially impregnated to produce milk. What does it tell us? Another fact, no other spices then humans drink another spices milk, there is no crossing, so why we are so special, are we?every single spices on our planet has very specific diet appropriate to specific environment living in, and we believe that we should eat anything. Now, how about if we look closer on cow growth since the birth and human growth. Cow needs about 1 year to rich its normal adult size, and we are talking from the birth at 50/60 pounds to 600+pounds in 1 YEAR!!!! Humans need at least 14/15 years to reach adult body size.What does it tell us? Just imagine how much more growth hormones we feed our babies and then ourselves with that milk? Just couple of my observations which make me realize not to touch any dairy at all. What are your observations (not believes,please) facts about dairy.
What you are describing is the conventional manner of dairy production which is certainly to be avoided. However, there are other types of milk that mimic what humans have consumed for millenia and can be safely embraced and enjoyed as a very nutritious food source. Here is some history on the subject for you: https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/why-milk-matters-and-why-its-not-just-for-baby-cows/
Hi Sarah,
It such a shame this is going on. I live in the UK and am happy to say I have my raw milk delivered straight to my door for me and my Son.For anyone in the uk wanting raw milk i get my from Hook & Son. Our Queen drinks raw milk and I can imagine Prince williams children do to. But it is the price of a bottle of wine for 1.136 litres……………..but well worth it. This was part of my protacol to cure my son of ezcema, which has gone! I did a hair test to find out his food sensitivities, took them out of his diet and any high histamine foods as well, got him on proiotics, raw milk and bone broths!!! Ezcema has not come back!
I absolutely love it!