During his recent visit in Australia, Slow Food international president Carlo Petrini had lunch in a Perth restaurant where he was offered three type of raw milk cheese, all from overseas. Petrini asked: ‘Are the French and Italian bacteria better than the Australian ones? Is it fair that Australians can pay for French and Italian bacteria and not for Australian ones? That’s not fair for Australian producers. With this issue, Slow Food has been able to win in the United States. Now, with 30,000 members in the United States, Slow Food has managed to change a stupid law. And if we can win in the United States we can also win in Australia. From that campaign in the United States we now have cheese makers in Montana, in California, and in Massachusetts. All over the United States we have a growing army of cheese makers, and the cheese is excellent. This is the great force of diversity”.


Slow Food Australia has now launched a public campaign to allow raw milk cheese to be made in Australia.

Raw milk cheese has a long tradition in Europe; other countries, such as the United States, Canada and New Zealand have recently changed legislation to allow its production. Australian consumers, instead, are still being denied the opportunity to taste home produced raw milk cheese.
Michael Croft, Slow Food project coordinator, says that Food Standards Australia New Zealand – the authority responsible for Australian food regulation – has to decide in early 2010 if protocols are to be changed to enable the making and sale of Australian cheese from raw milk.
“We have an opportunity to encourage food diversity, build skills and knowledge, and return opportunity to Australia’s rural heartland,’ he said. ‘We want government to allow Australian dairies to make and market raw milk cheese of quality. We call on government to enable our cheese makers and consumers to choose.’

If you want to sign, here’s the link to the online petition, or to the multiple signature petition.

“We must allow Australian cheese makers to make their cheese with raw milk. When you pasteurize milk you deprive it of its soul. There is no difference anymore. Instead, what can you taste with raw milk? You can taste the breed, the grass that the animal ate, if it comes from the mountains, hills or valleys, you can taste the expertise of the cheese maker, and so it becomes a pleasure. So difference becomes the real strength.” Carlo Petrini