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Raw milk: a superfood or super risky?

The vast majority of milk we drink is pasteurized – heat-treated to kill off harmful pathogens. Raw milk, on the other hand, goes straight from udder to bottle. Fans call it milk as nature intended: nutrient-rich and full of probiotics, the good kind of bacteria. Some fans go further, calling it a superfood that aids digestion, boosts the immune system and treats asthma, eczema and allergies.

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Featured

 Have You Ever Tried Raw Milk? A New Health Warning

I admit, I'm fascinated by the concept of raw milk. Some health gurus claim that it has extra enzymes and healthy compounds that pasteurization zaps, but others aren't buying it and say it's downright dangerous. And now, a new CDC study alleges that raw milk is, in fact, more dangerous than you think...

 More Evidence Raw Milk is Bad

More evidence that raw milk has no health benefit, but does carry higher health risks.

 People Are Still Obsessed With Raw Milk—and It’s Making Them Seriously Sick

There has been something of a renaissance of raw milk in recent years. And, not surprisingly, the dicey drink of bygone eras is also reviving disease outbreaks.

Articles of Interest

A Clash Over Unpasteurized Milk Gets Raw

The battle over unpasteurized milk products is heating up. Advocates of fresh-from-the-farm unprocessed foods tout "raw" milk as the ultimate health food, claiming it is rich in disease-fighting nutrients and healthy enzymes that are lost in pasteurization.

Drinking Raw Milk Is Worth The Risk, Advocates Say

Raw milk -- milk that comes straight from the cow or goat without being pasteurized -- has been effectively banned in many states because the Food and Drug Administration says it presents a health threat. But people who believe it's an important part of a diet with more local and natural foods are finding ways to get it, and they say it's worth the risk.

Explainer: what is raw milk and why is it harmful?

The defining difference between pasteurised and raw milk is the bacteria that are present. As soon as milk is secreted from the udder, it is at risk of contamination by many different bacteria as it makes its journey to our table.

Getting Real About the Fear Behind Raw Milk

Lately, there's a rising fear in food—people have developed a strange aversion to anything that isn't shrink-wrapped with a barcode on it. But when the issue behind raw milk bubbles to the surface, the cheese world is swimming in a sea of it. Here's...

I Tried It: Raw Milk

If you're like me--someone who grew up in a generation that didn't have a milkman--raw milk, straight from the local farm, may be a little foreign to you. And why raw, anyway? Is it healthier? Isn't the stuff at Safeway just fine? I picked up a quart of raw milk and took it for a test run...

Is It Safe To Eat Raw Dairy Products?

Health officials say they could make you sick, but raw dairy devotees would rather take the risk than give up their beloved milk and cheese.

Raw milk and cheese cause 840 times more illnesses than pasteurized products

Unpasteurized milk and cheeses made from it are responsible for nearly all foodborne illnesses caused by contaminated dairy products. And the growing popularity of and access to these products threaten to increase the number of disease outbreaks caused by these food items, a new study says.

Raw Milk Becomes Contentious

For one thing, a very American battle seems to be taking place, pitting disgruntled or suspicious citizens against what they see as an unreasonable, greedy, distant or simply clueless establishment. The raw milkies are a bit like the Tea Party movement in this sense — though they’re likely to be on opposite ends of the spectrum in most regards.

Raw Milk Consumption

In conclusion, raw milk is not inherently safe and carries a significant food poisoning risk with its consumption. There is no evidence that raw milk has any inherent health or nutritional benefits those media claims were shown to be myths. Pasteurized milk has an excellent food safety record and remains an important dietary source for many important nutrients (Table , especially for children and young adults.

Raw milk is risky. But that doesn't mean it should be illegal.

Proponents of raw milk often concede that pasteurization was a necessary innovation back in the early 20th century, when people didn't know about the importance of basic sanitary practices — like, for instance, thoroughly washing a cow's udders before milking them, to ensure that bacteria from their feces don't inadvertently enter the milk supply.

Raw Milk May Do More Harm Than Good

“We don’t want to scare people, we want to educate them. If you want to keep drinking raw milk, keep it in your refrigerator to minimize the risk of it developing bacteria with antibiotic-resistant genes,” said lead author Jinxin Liu, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Food Science and Technology at UC Davis.

Raw Milk Reality: Is Raw Milk Dangerous?

I’m not here to convince anyone that they should drink raw milk. That’s a decision each individual has to make on their own by weighing the potential risks against the potential benefits.

Raw milk: the benefits are unclear but the dangers are real

So what does the scientific evidence say? There’s some data to indicate pasteurisation can have a small effect on milk’s nutritional content. But drinking raw milk comes with the risk of contracting serious and potentially lethal infections.

Raw Milk: The Complete Guide to Nature’s Perfect Food

Forbes magazine has identified raw milk as one of the healthiest foods on the planet, an indication that this most traditional and healthful of foods is increasingly displacing factory milk which triggers allergies and lactose intolerance for many.

Study Shows Once and for All That Raw Milk Doesn't Help Lactose Intolerance

The study was small, with only 16 lactose-intolerant participants. All 16 tried three different types of milk–raw, pasteurized, and soy–over multiple eight-day periods.

The Raw Milk Debate: Don't Have a Cow

Raw is the term applied to milk that has not been pasteurized, a process that involves heating it to a specific temperature and holding it there long enough to kill potentially harmful bacteria (typically 161 degrees F for 15 seconds). The process destroys a virtual rogues gallery of bugs that can sicken or, in rare cases, kill people, particularly the young, the old, the pregnant, and those with weak immune systems.

The Raw-Milk Deal

Pure-food worshippers put their health at risk—especially when they drink unpasteurized milk.

What Is Raw Milk, and Is It Good for You?

You've added everything from traditional diary milk to alt milks, like oat and pea milk, to your morning latte, but what have you tried raw milk? It's popping up across the country everywhere from Instagram hashtags to retail markets, but what exactly is it, and, perhaps more importantly, should you try it?

Resources

3 Reasons to Drink Raw Milk (& 1 Reason Not To!)

There is a lot of misunderstanding around raw milk, and sometimes a little fear.

Real Raw Milk Facts

Real Raw Milk Facts provides information about key topics such as how the food safety track record of raw milk compares with that of pasteurized milk and whether raw milk from grass-fed cows and goats on pasture is safer than milk from animals raised on grain.

Raw Farm USA

Our family’s mission is to harness “nature’s blueprints” to produce and market superior quality raw products to dramatically improve our customer’s health, while sustaining and enhancing the environment, our animals, employees and shareholders, making our world a greener and healthier place.

CDC

Unfortunately, some people are choosing to drink raw milk. Raw milk—and products made from it—can make you and your loved ones sick. Raw milk has not undergone a process called pasteurization that kills disease-causing germs.