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Story: Public health

Health posters: pasteurised milk

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Health posters: pasteurised milk

The potential threat to public health from raw milk was a concern for the Department of Health. Unpasteurised milk (milk which had not been heat-treated) was associated with a number of diseases, including typhoid, scarlet fever and diphtheria. This poster was published in the 1940s. In 1953 the department banned the sale of raw milk.

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Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: Eph-D-HEALTH-1940s-01

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Kerryn Pollock, Public health – Healthy bodies, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/ephemera/31371/health-posters-pasteurised-milk (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Kerryn Pollock, published 18 April 2011, reviewed and revised 7 July 2019 with assistance from Richard Edwards.