FSN Daily Weekend Edition: Raw Milk — Unpacking the Risks and Realities

Food Safety News Team
May 03, 2025

Hi FSN Daily readers — welcome to this week’s Weekend Edition!

Raw milk is gaining popularity among those seeking natural foods, but it’s also fueling debate over safety and regulation.

Your poll responses highlight worries about pathogens, misinformation, and oversight gaps, with some defending raw milk’s safety when handled properly.

Let’s explore the science, address your concerns, and clarify myths using studies, health authority guidance, and your insights.

Poll Results: Your Concerns About Raw Milk

This week’s Wednesday Weigh-In asked: “What’s your biggest worry about raw milk consumption?” With robust participation, the poll revealed:

🦠 Pathogen risks – Raw milk can harbor dangerous bacteria (64%)
⚖️ Lack of regulation – Insufficient oversight of raw milk production (12%)
🧑‍🌾 Misinformation – Claims about raw milk benefits are misleading (17%)
🥛 Not worried – I think raw milk is safe if handled properly (7%)

Pathogen risks topped your concerns, followed by misinformation and regulatory gaps. A smaller group trusts that proper handling mitigates risks, reflecting a divide. These results frame our deep dive into raw milk’s complexities.

Reader Insight: One reader expressed concern that support for raw milk often overlaps with broader skepticism of science and public health.

What is Raw Milk and Why the Controversy?

Raw milk is milk from cows, goats, sheep, or other animals not pasteurized to kill harmful bacteria. Before pasteurization became standard in the early 20th century, milk spread diseases like tuberculosis and typhoid fever. Pasteurization, pioneered by Louis Pasteur, slashed these risks, making it a food safety cornerstone.

Proponents claim raw milk offers superior taste and health benefits, like enhanced nutrition or immunity. However, the FDA and CDC strongly oppose its consumption due to foodborne illness risks. This clash between consumer choice and public health fuels the controversy.

Reader Insight: A reader shared, “I get my raw milk from a trusted local farm that follows strict hygiene standards, and I’ve noticed it’s easier on my stomach than pasteurized milk.” This view highlights the appeal of raw milk for some, despite health authority warnings.

The Risks of Raw Milk Consumption

Raw milk can carry harmful pathogens like Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria, and others that can cause serious illness, posing severe risks, especially for children under 5, adults over 65, pregnant women, and immunocompromised individuals.

Outbreak Data: From 1998 to 2018, the CDC recorded 202 raw milk outbreaks, causing 2,645 illnesses and 228 hospitalizations, with many affecting children.
Symptoms: Illnesses include vomiting, diarrhea (sometimes bloody), fever, abdominal pain, and body aches. Severe cases can lead to Guillain-Barré syndrome (paralysis), hemolytic uremic syndrome (kidney failure), stroke, or death (CDC).
H5N1 Concerns: Since March 2024, H5N1 avian influenza has been detected in raw milk from infected cows. A 2024 study showed mice fed this milk had high H5N1 levels in respiratory organs, suggesting infectivity (NIH). The FDA warns against raw milk amid this outbreak.

Reader Insights: Your comments emphasize these dangers. One stated, “Time and again raw milk has been proven to harbor dangerous bacteria and to have made consumers of it sick. There have been at least 3 deaths attributed to the consumption of raw milk.”

Tuberculosis and Raw Milk: A Persistent Threat

Tuberculosis (TB), caused by Mycobacterium bovis in cattle, remains a significant concern with raw milk, as highlighted by your comments. Historically, raw milk was a major TB vector, contributing to 10% of cases before pasteurization. Recent studies confirm the risk persists: a 2022 meta-analysis found M. bovis in 5% of raw milk samples, with outbreaks like a 2005 Irish case linking raw milk to human TB, including a child with lymph node infection. Your insights reflect this, with one reader noting their grandfather’s severe TB from raw milk and another in India boiling milk to mitigate TB risks. The 64% of you concerned about pathogens align with these findings, while the 7% trusting proper handling urge caution, as boiling or pasteurization is critical to eliminate M. bovis. Weak regulations, noted by 12%, exacerbate risks in regions with high TB prevalence.

Reader Insights: One reader shared a personal story of the dangers of TB in raw milk, “My grandfather had tuberculosis of the stomach from ‘raw’ milk as a child—very serious.”

Debunking Common Misconceptions

Myths about raw milk’s benefits persist, despite lacking scientific backing. Here’s the evidence:

“Raw milk cures lactose intolerance.”
- Fact: Raw milk contains lactose (4.8% in bovine milk), like pasteurized milk. Lactose intolerance results from lacking lactase enzyme, not processing. Studies show raw milk doesn’t alleviate symptoms.
“Raw milk is nutritionally superior.”
- Fact: Pasteurization minimally affects nutrients. Research finds no significant difference in protein, vitamins, or minerals. Vitamin C loss is negligible, as milk isn’t a primary source.
“Raw milk builds the immune system.”
- Fact: No evidence supports this. Raw milk can harm immunity, especially in children, as seen in a 2005 E. coli outbreak in Washington and Oregon that sickened 18 people, including five children.
“Natural antimicrobials make raw milk safe.”
- Fact: Antimicrobials like lactoferrin are too weak to eliminate pathogens like Salmonella or E. coli. Pasteurization is essential.
“Raw milk prevents allergies or asthma.”
- Fact: Some studies link farm life to fewer allergies, but this “farm effect” ties to lifestyle, not raw milk. Authors warn against its risks (Read the Study — “Raw Cow’s Milk and Its Protective Effect on Allergies and Asthma”).

Reader Insights: Misinformation concerns many of you. One commented, “People cannot make appropriate risk-benefit decisions when the data is corrupt.” Another noted, “Misinformation leads to increased risks via under-regulation and failure of consumers to take risks seriously,” stressing the need for evidence-based education.

Regulations and Safety

Raw milk sales are regulated at the state level in the U.S., creating inconsistent standards. About 30 states allow some sales, while others ban it, fueling oversight concerns noted in your poll.

FDA and CDC Guidance: Both recommend only pasteurized milk. Verify “pasteurized” on labels and avoid raw milk from farmers’ markets or roadside stands unless confirmed (FDA).
Safe Handling: Even with hygiene, raw milk carries risks. Refrigerate at 40°F or below and discard spoiled products (CDC).
Raw Milk Cheese: Raw milk cheeses must be aged 60 days to reduce pathogens, but this may not eliminate H5N1, prompting FDA review (CIDRAP).

Reader Insights: Regulatory gaps frustrated many. One reader said, “There is a reason why homogenized milk products appeared on the market oh so many years ago. It almost feels like there is a new breed of businesses out there who lack conscience and willfully choose to ignore the lessons from the past,” reflecting a call to heed historical safety lessons.

Why It Matters

Raw milk’s documented risks clash with its appeal, driven by misinformation and a desire for “natural” foods. Your poll highlights unease about pathogens, misinformation, and regulation, calling for better education and oversight. While some champion consumer choice, the potential for severe illness, especially in vulnerable groups, makes pasteurization vital. Balancing freedom and safety remains contentious, as one reader noted: “It’s about informed choice, but the risks are real.”

Reader Insights: Not all see raw milk as risky. One said, “People drank raw milk for hundreds of years,” suggesting historical use proves safety. Conversely, another urged, “The public needs more education on potential pathogen risks of raw milk,” emphasizing informed decision-making.

Interesting Fact

Before pasteurization, milk was linked to up to 10% of tuberculosis cases, especially before World War II. Pasteurization, introduced in the 1860s, slashed milkborne illnesses, becoming a landmark in food safety.

What’s your take?

Do raw milk’s risks outweigh its appeal, or should consumers have the freedom to choose despite the dangers?

(Keep it respectful; personal attacks or ads will be removed.)

Thanks for weighing in and helping shape the conversation. We’ll dive into another food safety topic next weekend — stay tuned!

All the best,
Jonan Pilet, Newsletter Editor

Weekend Poll

What’s your go-to milk? 🥛

Past Week’s Recalls

U.S.-Based Recalls:

Canada-Based Recalls:

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