A market for camels' milk in the West
Monday, April 5, 2010
In North Carolina, according to an article published recently in the Wall Street Journal, naturopathic doctor Millie Hinkle is waiting to get over the hump of clearance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to sell camel milk to consumers.
She says her life has been taken over by her goal to bring camel milk to the United States and to Canada.
"Dr. Hinkle has had so many heartbreaking e-mails and calls from Canadians seeking her help for their sick loved ones," says Hinkle's website, www.camelmilkusa.com .
A report in 2001 said scientists in the United Arab Emirates found that camels' milk contains antibodies that are resistant to many modern viral diseases. Hinkle's website claims drinking camel's milk can "defeat autism" without citing any scientific evidence.
Hinkle says she has won initial approval from the Interstate Milk Shipments organization to market the milk. Her website adds that "Dr. Hinkle also is working with Canadian officials regarding the importation of camel milk into Canada."
One problem is that there are few camels in North America and the animals are notoriously hard to milk. There is breeding stock available.
The UN's food arm, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), wants producers in countries from Mauritania in Africa to Kazakhstan in Asia to start selling camels' milk to the West. In a report published in 2006, Anthony Bennett, a meat and dairy expert at the FAO said there was a market worth at least C$8.7 billion from 200 million potential customers in the Arab world and tens of millions more in Europe, the Americas and Africa.
Improvements are needed along the supply chain. The milk isn't compatible with Ultra High Temperature treatment needed to make it last. But the main challenge stems from the fact that the producers involved are mostly nomads.
There is at least one notable exception to that rule. In Dubai, there is a dairy that milks 1,500 camels. An average milking produces about two gallons.
Scientists in Dubai also warn that unpasteurized camel milk can transmit brucellosis. BF