Social media promotion of raw milk 'misleading and dangerous'

Public health experts are sounding the alarm about online content creators sharing misinformation about raw milk and spruiking it as a health food.

It is illegal to sell raw or unpasteurised milk for human consumption in Australia because it may contain harmful pathogens.

Pasteurisation is a specific heat treatment process used to kill bacteria such as E.coli, salmonella and listeria.

In the US state of Florida, 21 people became sick from campylobacter and E.coli and seven were hospitalised in August, after consuming raw milk from the same dairy.

The state's health department issued a statement warning people about concerning sanitation practices at the farm, and of the potentially severe illness that could occur as a result of consuming unpasteurised milk.

In 2014, a coroner found r