Victorian health officials have issued fresh warnings about the dangers of consuming "bath milk" after a three-year-old toddler died and other children became sick drinking the "cosmetic" product.
The Victorian Health Department has revealed the toddler died from 'haemolytic uraemic syndrome' (blood and kidney failure) after consuming the unpasteurized milk on the Mornington Peninsula.
"There are two issues that concern me - one is the movement out there that people think that something raw is wholesome and better for you, which is clearly not the case," Victoria's Chief Health Officer Dr Rosemary Lester told ABC News.
"Secondly was the potential for confusion with milk that really is for human consumption, given these products are being sold alongside milk for human consumption."
Unpasteurized drinking milk is illegal for sale in Australia but the product the toddler consumed, "Mountain View Farm Bath Milk" is sold with a label that reads 'cosmetic use'.
The owner of Mountain View Farm, Vicki Jones has defended the product and called some of the media coverage "sensationalized".
"We label it as bath milk, for cosmetic use only, not for consumption. It's quite bold, so it's easy to see. I drink it, but it is a raw product, I can't say that it's safe to drink," she told ABC News.
Dairy Australia's Helen Dornom told ABC News 24, dairy farmers were selling "raw milk" to a niche market.
.@Dairy_Australia's Helen Dornom says “raw milk” is a niche product that helps dairy farmers stay profitable
The Australian Medical Association's Dr Tony Bartone has called for raw milk to be banned from sale in Australia.
"This is an increasing fad that we're hearing about, people drinking unpasteurised milk for cosmetic or body-building purposes... there's only scientific reasons that it will harm you," he told ABC News.
"I can see no useful purpose for the sale of this milk."
UPDATE Friday 1300AEST: Mountain View announced a voluntary recall of the "Bath Milk" according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
Mountain View Organic Dairy #recalls Organic Bath Milk. May contain harmful pathogens – risk of severe illness/death http://t.co/dNWcuTrufi