Dairy product loved by Erling Haaland comes with a serious health warning
Erling Haaland has previously been vocal about his love for raw, unpasteurised dairy products. But experts aren’t as convinced, given the detrimental impact it could have on children, pregnant people, and immunocompromised individuals.
Head to any supermarket in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, walk down the milk aisle, and we can bet you will not find the 26-year-old’s so-called ‘superfood’—AKA raw cow's milk.
That’s because unpasteurised milk can only be sold externally at farms (via vending machines and at the front gate), at farmers’ markets, and via milk floats.
Because of the health issues related to the popular drink, it’s actually illegal to sell unpasteurised dairy milk in Scotland.
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But luckily for Haaland, he lives in Cheshire, where he can pick up bottles of the stuff directly from a local dairy farm.
What Erling Haaland says about raw milk
In a YouTube vlog, Haaland admitted he drinks a maple syrup-infused coffee every morning, made with fresh raw milk.
Calling the product a ‘superfood’, the Premier League icon continued, claiming it was ‘good for the stomach, good for the skin, the bones and muscles’.
“That is why I drink it,” he added.
In addition to having raw milk in the morning, Haaland apparently guzzles a glass of the good stuff after football training at the City ground, as per The Guardian.
BBC Sport said this ritual has been ‘part of his life for as long as he can remember’.
Experts warn off drinking raw milk
Despite the Nordic Cyborg’s adoration for raw milk, experts such as FSA deputy director of policy Natasha Smith aren’t as convinced.
She told the BBC that due to being unpasteurised, raw milk can often contain food poisoning bacteria.
“So there are extra checks and hygiene standards for raw drinking milk producers," she explained.
“While these stricter controls aim to help make sure it's safer and support consumer choice, it's important to remember vulnerable people should avoid it."
Doctor Jorge Gutierrez-Merino, a senior lecturer in food microbiology, agreed, explaining that deadly bacteria found in the drink can often cause ‘fatal infections’ in children, the elderly, and pregnant people.
These serious pathogens include Listeria, E. coli, Salmonella, Campylobacter and Brucella.
Many people who contract these illnesses could be forced to embark on a stint in hospital, and may experience miscarriage and even death.
Instead of seeking out raw milk, Adam J. Ratner, lead author of a recent American Academy of Paediatrics study, says milk drinkers should always be reaching for pasteurised products.
“Pasteurisation—a safe, effective process of heating and cooling milk before consumption that has been used for more than a century—dramatically reduces the risks without taking away the nutritional value families rely on,” he told the Medical Xpress.
Ella Scott