Milk vending machines in Czech Republic: more popular but considered dangerous

2010-03-02

The Czech Ministry of Health has warned that there is a risk of bacteria and viral agents of infectious diseases being transmitted by non-pasteurised milk which is sold in increasingly popular milk vending machines, installed by the company Agri Toko. To minimise this risk, the Ministry, in cooperation with the State Veterinary Administration, has introduced requirements applying to the use of milk vending machines. One of the requirements refers to placing visible signs on machines stating that the machine is selling raw milk, which needs to be boiled before use.
There are currently more than 100 fresh milk vending machines in the country and this is likely to have risen to 400 by the end of the year, according to estimates from the Agrarian Chamber of the Czech Republic.
Milk vending machines have been introduced by farmers in response to the low prices being paid for raw milk. Last year the purchase price fell to an average of CZK 6 (€0.2) per litre, whereas in vending machines, milk is sold for CZK 15 (€0.6) per litre. Machines sell between 300 and 1,000 litres of milk daily. Farmers are also planning to start direct sales of fruit and vegetables through such machines. The first vending machines of this kind were introduced predominately in smaller settlements in the Czech Republic, however, they are now present in larger cities as well, with the first machine having been installed in Prague in December 2009.