Raw milk's controversial popularity: Between freedom of choice and health warnings

For more than a century, health authorities have warned Americans about the dangers of consuming milk without undergoing pasteurization processes. However, an emerging trend is challenging this norm. More and more people are opting for raw milk, attracted by its potential health benefits.

As unpasteurized milk is gaining popularity and becoming increasingly accessible in health food and neighborhood stores across the country, the sale of this product has become a topic of significant debate, including at the political level.

In the last year alone, demand for raw milk has increased by 20%. Natural health advocates and Republicans have united in a campaign promoting freedom of choice in food consumption.

"I figure free people drink what free people want to drink. This is still America," opined Danny McCormick, a Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives.

Judith McGeary, of Farm and Ranch Freedom Alliance explained that there is much more information today than in the 1950s, "when pasteurization became widespread," which has led to more knowledge "about the benefits of unprocessed food and probiotic-encouraging foods, such as raw milk."

Proponents of raw milk claim that it helps with weight loss, improves gut health and is more digestible for people with lactose intolerance. In addition, they argue that pasteurization eliminates enzymes and beneficial bacteria, reducing its nutritional value. Even celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow are pushing this trend, incorporating raw milk into their daily diet.

"I think there are schools of thought that drinking raw milk is better because once you process it and everything, that’s when the dairy becomes harder to tolerate," Paltrow said in an interview.

Health concerns

Meanwhile, public health officials say consuming raw milk is dangerous and can increase bacterial and viral infections, some of which can be deadly.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warn that consuming raw milk may contain dangerous bacteria such as salmonella and E. coli, as well as possibly spread the avian flu.

However, distrust of these health authorities is on the rise. Some consider the bans on raw milk to be the result of the influence of big dairy lobbyists and see these restrictions as an invasion of personal freedom.

Legislative changes

Recently, a bill to lift the total ban on raw milk reached the desk of the governor of Louisiana. If passed, it would allow the sale of raw milk in regular stores beginning August 1, with the caveat that it is "not for human consumption."

During the passage of the legislative proposal, Kimberly Coates, a Republican state representative from Louisiana, expounded, "Our citizens have the right to buy those products even though they have risks associated with them."

Iowa, Montana, North Dakota, Alaska, Georgia and Wyoming have already passed laws or amended regulations since 2020 that legalize the sale of raw milk on farms or in stores.

Although the FDA has recorded 143 deaths since 1987 related to raw milk consumption, due to bacterial and viral illnesses, another FDA study based on data from 2016 and 2019 exposes that 4.4% of U.S. adults said they had consumed raw milk, and the number has almost certainly increased since then.

Origins of pasteurization.

A report by Politician exposed that before the turn of the 20th, raw milk was the norm in the United States. However, milk production and distribution in the United States faced serious safety issues.

Urban dairies, often linked to distilleries, provided milk contaminated with bacteria due to unsanitary practices such as feeding cows waste from whiskey making. This junk milk wreaked havoc on public health, contributing to disease outbreaks that even led to the deaths of thousands of babies in cities like New York.

Against this backdrop, the advent of pasteurization was considered a crucial breakthrough amid increasing urbanization. Scientists began heating milk to eliminate dangerous bacteria, and the technology proved effective for the time. This led to authorities choosing to adopt pasteurization as a mandatory measure to protect public health, banning the sale of raw milk in many jurisdictions.

Despite these regulations, raw milk never completely disappeared. In the decades since, growing interest in more natural and healthier foods, motivated by concerns about the effects of highly processed foods and the obesity epidemic, has led some consumers to seek alternatives such as raw milk.