Claiming Consumer Rights–Raw Milk Vending Machines in Europe

At the Second Annual International Raw Milk Symposium, Claiming Consumer Rights, held in Madison, Wisconsin on April 10, 2010, Dr. Sylvia Onusic shared with Symposium participants her experiences with raw milk and raw milk vending machines in Europe in her presentation, “European Raw Milk Perspectives.” The audio and power point files are shared with you here; see links at the end of this page.  She first encountered the machines in Slovenia in 2009 and wrote more about them on her blog, Taste of Slovenia.

Raw milk vending machines started to appear in Europe around 2006.  There are now many companies producing the machines, and thousands of the machines in operation throughout the world (but none in the U.S.) They have become important enough to generate major marketing reports forecasting production, sales and analysis.

The consumer can access raw milk safely 24 hours a day by using the vending machine system which keeps the milk cold and monitored constantly. Safeguards are built in so that only the farmer and officials can access the milk container.  But the consumer also has the responsibility to store and handle the milk safely after they purchase it from the machine.

Dr. Onusic wrote an update on raw milk vending machines for the 2017 summer issue of Wise Traditions in Food, Farming and the Healing Arts accompanied by a short summary of raw milk vending machine use in New Zealand. Farmers are now selling not only their milk but their cheeses and other products via the vending machine system.

Also attached via links at the end of this page is the power point and audio presentation for, “Do the Europeans Do it Better? Dairy Policy and Programs in the EU and Europe,“ from Dr. Onusic’s 2011 presentation at the Third Annual Raw Milk Symposium, Producer, Consumer, Choice, held in Bloomington Minnesota on May 7, 2011. At that time there were quotas for milk production in the European Union (EU) which have now been abolished resulting in an increase in the amount of available milk. Many farmers now sell a significant amount of milk through the raw milk vending machines which have become important in providing consumer access to raw milk.

PowerPoint: European Raw Milk Perspectives 2010 Raw Milk Symposium
Audio:

PowerPoint: Do the Europeans Do it Better 2011 Raw Milk Symposium
Audio: