I’m a health nut. I like eating healthy, and I’m willing to pay a little more if it means a higher quality product is going into my body. But there are places I draw the line. Today as I was browsing through articles online, one headline quickly caught my attention.
There’s a new product on the health food market, and it might surprise you: camel’s milk. That’s right — camel’s milk. Supposedly camel’s milk is better for you than cow’s milk, goat’s milk, or just about any animal’s milk.
In case you’re skeptical that this is really catching on, there’s a company called Desert Farms that’s started marketing their brand of camel’s milk in the United States (based where else but California?). Camel’s milk is already popular in the Middle East — and while camel farms aren’t yet big here in the United States (have you seen anyone milking a camel lately?), they do exist, particularly among Amish farmers.
So, if you wanted to try some camel’s milk, what would this amazing health food cost?
$18 per pint.
The Craze for Super Foods
This trend towards marketing exotic and superior sources of healthy nutrients is not new. In the last decade, demand for milk substitutes, whole foods, and gluten-free cuisine has skyrocketed. No longer are people only concerned about their weight; they’re concerned about their bodies, looking to food as the cure for ailments and disease, instead of trusting pill-pushing doctors who collaborate with pharmaceutical companies. Organic brands, once a scarcity in the grocery aisles, are exploding everywhere and becoming more affordable every day.
But again, where do you draw the line? Granted, the current price of Desert Farms’ camel’s milk is largely due to its limited availability. If camel farms became more prevalent, the price would go down. But how much? I’m not sure it will come down far enough to fit in my budget any time soon.
The camel’s milk producers will find their market in the wealthier brackets. That being said, many consumers are becoming increasingly skeptical of such “miracle products” that seem to do little else but empty the pockets of of the gullible.
Personally, I’m willing to pay a premium for organic produce and buy locally whenever possible (local farmers are rarely cheaper than the supermarket). But $18 for camel milk? I don’t even buy face cream that expensive!
Would you pay $18 per pint for camel’s milk?
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