We had a hump, err, hunch that camel milk would makes its way West
Plagued by bed bugs that proliferate during warmer temperatures and the kind of distorted energy policy that replaces residents in the Braka village with four nuclear reactors, the UAE doesn’t always have a lot to be proud of. Except, perhaps, camel’s milk. Rich in vitamins and iron, and easier to digest than cow’s milk, we wondered how long it would take for camel’s milk to reach America’s Wholefoods shelves. As it turns out, that might happen a lot sooner than we thought.
Camel milk gets EU approval
Writing for Time, Megan Gibson explains that European Union health officials have evaluated the UAE’s camel milk, and have given it their stamp of approval.
“The EU will be conducting inspections and if the milking facilities pass, powdered camel milk will be exported to Europe, and possibly to Asia and the U.S. in the future,” she wrote.
She goes to say to explain that Camelicious, which is based in Dubai, hopes to derive a greater profit by exporting to Western markets. Largely successful in the UAE since 2006, they look forward to sharing the benefits of camel milk with the west. However, Gibson wonders how easily the West will embrace the taste.
Spruce up the taste
She says that while wild Camels produce a salty milk, but Camelicious camels are fed hay, carrots, and dates, which improves the milk’s taste. And to further enhance the milk’s gamey taste, they add date, saffron, chocolate, and strawberry flavor.
“We know this isn’t what you’d call a mainstream product in the West,” David Wernery, legal adviser for Camelicious, told the Associated Press. “It’s probably going to be a niche thing at first.”
We’re certainly rooting for the camels.
:: image via meganfitzgerald and story via Time Newsfeed
More Camel News From the Middle East:
Abu Dhabi Rich Pay Millions For Camels While Arab World Stays Poor
Half of UAE’s Falaj Mualla Camels Choked on Plastic Bags
Israel Camel Racing May Suffer for Lack of Humps
Author: Tafline Laylin
As a tour leader who led “eco-friendly” camping trips throughout North America, Tafline soon realized that she was instead leaving behind a trail of gas fumes, plastic bottles and Pringles. In fact, wherever she traveled – whether it was Viet Nam or South Africa or England – it became clear how inefficiently the mandate to re-think our consumer culture is reaching the general public. Born in Iran, raised in South Africa and the United States, she currently splits her time between Africa and the Middle East. Tafline can be reached at tafline (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
I want to import Camel form India,
need some advise and also to need detail information
Bed bugs and nuclear plants… what?! It’s high time that Green Prophet did a reality check on its GCC reporting. I would expect from an otherwise excellent source of fresh views and information on sustainablility developments in the region to strive towards at least a bit of objectivity. The format of your posts on Gulf monarchies almost invariably goes: ‘an oil exporting Arab country cannot be green whatever it does and we are here to reveal these blatant attempts at greenwash’. Sometimes you’re right, but not always. How about instead of some Masdar-bashing some of your writers really went to Abu Dhabi and, for example, spoke to the local environmentalists? Not every LEED-certified building in the Gulf means that the constructing company has the responsibility to change the whole country’s building code. Attitudes are changing, and so are policies. Not just in Israel, but in the Arab world too…
set up a milk production unit in Salalah, Oman. There are thousands of the animals – call it a hotel for them – get them off the mountains – and charge the owner a premium .
Joking aside – a great idea – its been tried here from either the UAE or Saudi and a bit of marketing should work wonders