Despite Health Risks, Raw Milk Is Having A Moment

Many Americans are rejecting modernity and embracing tradition not by limiting screen time but by drinking their milk raw. Unlike the stuff sold in most grocery stores, raw milk isn’t heated to kill harmful pathogens in a process known as pasteurization.

Public health authorities advise Americans to stay away from raw milk, due to the risk of illness—especially for children and pregnant women. But more people have been guzzling the untreated cow nectar: Farmers across the country reported growing raw milk sales in recent years, with gallons sometimes going for $20+.

Lawmakers in dozens of states are pushing to loosen restrictions on raw milk sales. And a bipartisan bill introduced in the House of Representatives this year would allow it to be sold across state lines, which federal law currently prohibits.

Why drink it raw?

While some people prefer raw milk’s grassy creaminess, the craze is largely fueled by health influencers and anti-pasteurization advocates, many of whom are aligned with the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement. They insist it’s healthier than treated milk—a claim public health experts say isn’t supported by evidence.

The drink has champions in high places:

• Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took a shot of raw milk at the White House while celebrating the release of a MAHA report that promoted it.
• Norwegian soccer superstar Erling Haaland recently said he drinks it all the time, claiming it’s good for the stomach, skin, and bones.

Supporters argue that Americans should be able to weigh the risks for themselves.

What are those risks?

Between 1998 and 2019, bacterial outbreaks tied to raw milk have sickened 2,600 Americans and were linked to 225 hospitalizations, according to the CDC. Raw milk products are 45 times more likely than those from pasteurized milk to cause hospitalization, according to a different study.

Raw milk boosters claim that it’s gotten safer due to many farmers adopting precautions, like testing for bacteria. The advocacy organization Raw Milk Institute—run by a California farmer who sells $30 million of it yearly—has created safety protocols for producers to follow. Still, the FDA linked nine recent E. coli food poisoning cases to raw milk and cheddar cheese from his farm this year.—SK

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