Public Health Officials Push for Raw Milk Ban Amid Rising Outbreaks
- As raw milk rises in popularity across the United States, public health officials face a surge in foodborne illness outbreaks linked to the unpasteurized product, theguardian.com reported.
- Last week, the American Academy of Pediatrics called for an outright ban on sales of unpasteurized milk in the United States.
- Dr Brian Dawes, an infectious disease specialist at Stanford University, supports a complete ban on the product.
As raw milk rises in popularity across the United States, public health officials face a surge in foodborne illness outbreaks linked to the unpasteurized product, theguardian.com reported.
American Academy of Pediatrics Calls for National Ban
Last week, the American Academy of Pediatrics called for an outright ban on sales of unpasteurized milk in the United States. The policy push follows a series of disease outbreaks tied to raw milk consumption, which has alarmed doctors and pediatricians nationwide.
Dr Brian Dawes, an infectious disease specialist at Stanford University, supports a complete ban on the product. He noted that raw milk poses severe risks to young consumers.
They have weaker immune systems, less overall physiological reserves, so when they get these infections, they tend to get much sicker.
Dr Brian Dawes
According to National Public Radio, more than 100 people fell ill this summer after drinking raw milk, resulting in 11 hospitalizations. Additionally, an E coli outbreak spanning California, Florida, and Texas was linked directly to cheese from Raw Farm, the country’s largest raw milk distributor, with most victims being children age three and younger.
Rising Consumer Demand and Regulatory Shifts
Despite the documented health risks, market research firm Circana reported that raw milk sales increased by 17.6% in 2024. Public health advocates attribute the growing demand to endorsements from prominent influencers, shifting trust in government regulators, and previous promotion by former U.S. health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
State regulations have also loosened over the past decade, even though the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned the interstate sale and distribution of raw milk in 1987. Creambrook Farm in Virginia, which milks 150 cows and sells raw milk legally through a herd-share loophole, has seen annual sales jump between 30% and 50% since 2020.
Ben Beichler, co-owner of Creambrook Farm, pointed to pandemic-era shifts in consumer mindset. For better or worse, I think there is a skepticism in society that didn’t exist pre-Covid, and people are willing to question things more than they used to,
Beichler said.
Disputed Claims Over Nutritional Benefits and Safety Testing
Raw milk producers and advocates maintain that pasteurization strips away flavor and health benefits, while public health agencies emphasize that heating milk destroys dangerous pathogens. Proponents often cite a 2011 report in the Clinical & Experimental Allergy journal suggesting farm milk may protect against asthma and allergies.
The FDA counters that advocates have misused those findings because about half of the farm milk in that study was boiled, and study authors explicitly stated that consumption of raw farm milk cannot be recommended as a preventive measure. Petra Levin, a professor of biology at Washington University, underscored the microbial hazard.
I’m concerned about people consuming raw milk because while it isn’t a guarantee that you will get sick from it, there is a relatively high likelihood that you can get a pathogen, a bacteria that will make you sick.
Petra Levin
While commercial producers like Beichler utilize internal and third-party laboratory testing to screen batches before sale, public health officials maintain that the inherent contamination risks of unpasteurized dairy remain too high for widespread public consumption.