Raw milk is unpasteurized milk that still contains natural bacteria. There are pathogens lurking in raw milk, like Brucella, Campylobacter, Cryptosporidium, E. coli, Salmonella, and Listeria, which pose serious health risks to you and your family. Check out the following information for some answers to common questions about raw milk.
The Dangers of Raw Milk
How can drinking raw milk be harmful?
Raw milk is unprocessed milk that hasn’t undergone pasteurization to remove harmful bacteria. Raw milk has germs in it that can make you really sick. In fact, raw milk is among the most dangerous foods.
Anyone who gets sick after drinking raw milk could experience diarrhea, gastric cramps, and vomiting, which could last several days. Some of these individuals could develop severe, sometimes fatal illnesses, such as:
Guillain-Barré syndrome is a condition that can lead to paralysis.
Hemolytic uremic syndrome is a condition that can lead to stroke and kidney failure and, in severe cases, can be fatal.
Some things to note:
Milk in its raw form has been linked to various food-borne illnesses, some of which can be very severe.
Foodborne disease symptoms vary depending on the germ you encounter.
People can get sick from the same raw milk brand they tolerated before, even years later.
Pasteurizing milk minimizes the risk of infection. Pasteurization is the act of heating milk at a high temperature long enough to kill the bad germs present in it.
Milk in raw form can be tainted in many ways. Healthy animals can carry human-toxic germs, and organisms in their feces can pollute raw milk.
While safety measures can mitigate the risk of bacteria in raw milk, they cannot eliminate it.
Who is at most risk to illness from raw milk?
Adults 65 and over, children under 5 years of age, and individuals with weakened immune systems are the most vulnerable to severe foodborne disease. Yet adults of all ages can become very ill from drinking raw milk contaminated with harmful bacteria.
Can my family or I get sick from drinking raw milk?
Yes. Raw milk and its products, including soft cheese, yogurt, and ice cream can carry harmful bacteria causing illness, hospitalization, or, in severe cases, death. If you want your family's health to remain at its best, then only use pasteurized milk and dairy products. If your family member or you consumed raw milk and got sick, call the doctor right away.
Pasteurization
What does pasteurization mean, and what is pasteurized milk?
Pasteurization involves heating milk to just the right temperature for a specific time to eliminate germs. When it goes through this process, milk becomes pasteurized.
How did pasteurization develop in the United States?
Pasteurization emerged during a time when millions were falling ill or dying from infections like scarlet fever, tuberculosis, and typhoid, often spread through raw milk.
Routine milk pasteurization began in the U.S. in the 1920s and became widespread by 1950 to reduce contamination and human disease. It resulted in huge declines in sickness. Almost all public health specialists and clinicians see pasteurization as one of the best public health food safety solutions ever!
Medical and scientific associations, such as the CDC, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians, the American Veterinary Medical Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics, advocate for milk pasteurization.
Does pasteurization affect nutritional milk quality?
All the nutrients that you get from drinking milk can be derived in high quantities from pasteurized milk without any disease that might be caused by drinking raw milk.
Is the enzyme and nutrient content higher in raw milk than in pasteurized milk?
More than one research paper found that pasteurization has no effect on the nutrition of milk. No research has proved the nutritional value of drinking raw milk, at least according to scientists.
Did pasteurized milk ever cause disease or epidemics?
Pasteurized milk and milk products were sometimes the source of illness. Usually, this occurs when bacteria enter the milk or dairy product after it has been pasteurized. Milk that has been pasteurized is very unlikely to have any harmful germs if it has been:
correctly handled;
properly bottled, packaged, and stored before distribution;
properly stored by the consumer, such as by keeping it refrigerated.
Given how much pasteurized milk people consume, the cases of diseases are surprisingly rare.
Milk Production and Contamination
What are the causes of milk contamination?
Milk can be tainted in these ways:
Mucus in an animal’s pee can infect milk.
There can be microbes in the environment (in the barn, in the milking machines) which will transfer into the milk.
Bacteria can get into the milk from the animal’s skin.
The udder of the dairy cow is infected (e.g., mastitis).
The dairy cow might be ill (e.g., bovine tuberculosis).
Small animals such as millets and rodents can contaminate the milk.
The conditions in the milk processing factory can be unhygienic.
It is possible for dairy workers to cross-contaminate milk – e.g., by wearing dirty clothes or shoes near it.
Does milk have some "built-in" safety system that obstructs bacterial contamination?
No. In the U.S., pasteurization is the most effective procedure for decontaminating milk.
If my farmer tests the raw milk, doesn’t that mean it’s safe?
No. A negative test for germs in raw milk doesn’t guarantee that it’s safe to drink. Very often, low contamination levels aren’t detected. Drinking raw milk from farms that test their milk daily for bacteria can make people ill.
Since my farmer uses goats and grass-fed cows for raw milk, doesn’t that make it safe?
No. Raw milk epidemics have been connected to grass-fed and grain-fed livestock.
Since my farmer’s raw milk is organic, doesn’t that mean it’s safe?
No. Even organic raw milk can be contaminated. You can buy pasteurized organic milk in grocery stores, farmer’s markets, and dairies.
Is it safe to drink the raw milk from the farmers market?
No. Raw milk is never completely safe, so buy pasteurized milk from farmers.
Many organic and raw milk manufacturers are setting up clean living spaces for animal rearing and milking. Does it stop milk from being contaminated?
Proper hygienic work on the farm and in the milking machine can help prevent milk contamination, but it’s not guaranteed. Germs are a big problem on dairy farms, no matter how carefully maintained the farm or barns are and how careful the milkers are. Even with negative lab test results, farmers cannot be sure their raw milk and dairy products aren’t contaminated with pathogenic germs.
Am I at risk of developing a disease from consuming raw milk products, even with well-maintained, grass-fed animals and clean milk collection?
Yes. Even healthy livestock can have germs that could contaminate milk. Small quantities of bacteria can colonize and grow in milk between its production and consumption. People who drink unpasteurized milk can become ill.
Although milk collection systems have improved over the years, contamination remains a risk. Dairy, even from "certified," "organic," or "local" dairies, isn’t always safe. Milk is safe to drink only after being pasteurized. Organic, pasteurized milk or its products are available everywhere.
Potential Health Claims of Raw Milk
Isn’t raw or natural food healthier than packaged food?
We are generally told that foods with minimal processing are healthier. Similarly, people tend to think that smaller, local farms offer healthier food. Yet, some processing is required to preserve our health. For example, we prepare raw meat, fish, and poultry to make it safe to eat. Pasteurized milk is no different; it is sterilized by heating it to a high enough temperature for a specific time to eliminate harmful germs. The majority of nutrients are still present in milk after it’s been pasteurized.
Are there good bacteria in raw milk?
Raw milk contains various bacteria, some of which aren’t safe. So, if you are planning to drink raw milk believing it will be rich in beneficial bacteria, remember that instead, harmful bacteria can make you sick. If you consider certain kinds of bacteria to be good for you, seek them in foods that don’t pose such high health risks.
Some people have been safely consuming raw milk for years. Why is that?
We can never be sure whether raw milk contains germs. People can drink raw milk without risks for a long time but suddenly become ill in case of contamination.
Raw Milk Legislation and Epidemics Caused By Raw Milk
Is buying or selling raw milk legal?
In some states, people can legally sell and purchase raw dairy products. Since it presents a risk of a deadly illness, federal regulation bars dairies from shipping raw milk across state borders in a final package. Raw milk is allowed to be transported from state to state only if it undergoes further processing (pasteurized, perhaps, or if it will be used to create certain cheeses) and then sold to the public. All states have their own regulations for selling raw milk within their territory. Only less than half of the US states allow you to sell raw milk directly to consumers. Raw milk is sold in some form directly to consumers in the other 27 states.
What is the number of outbreaks attributed to raw milk?
Between 2013 and 2018, the CDC reported that raw milk caused 75 outbreaks, 98 hospitalizations, and 675 illnesses. Campylobacter>, Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, or Salmonella caused the bulk of outbreaks. State, local, and territorial health departments report to the CDC of foodborne disease outbreaks on a voluntary basis.
Reported outbreaks are only the beginning. Most diseases are not in an identified outbreak, and for each outbreak and every disease reported, there are many more.
Most outbreaks related to raw milk consumption involve 19-year-olds or younger. At least one child under 19 was involved in 48% of the raw milk outbreaks reported to the CDC between 2013 and 2018. 58 out of 74 outbreaks (78%) took place in states that allowed unpasteurized milk.
Are raw milk outbreaks more prevalent in those states where the milk can be sold?
Yes. More raw milk-related outbreaks occur in states that permit to sale of raw milk compared to states where unpasteurized dairy products are forbidden for human consumption.
Are raw milk-related outbreaks more common in states where its sale is legal?
Yes. Raw milk-related outbreaks are more frequent in states where its sale for human consumption is legal compared to states where it is prohibited
