Raw milk is milk that has not been pasteurized — heated to a high enough temperature, for a set length of time, to remove the germs that cause disease. That one step is the difference that matters: pasteurized milk keeps the same nutritional benefits without raw milk's risks, and since the early 1900s pasteurization has greatly cut the amount of illness spread through milk.
Careful practice on a farm can reduce contamination, but it cannot guarantee that raw milk is free of harmful germs.
What raw milk can carry
Drinking raw milk, or eating products made from it, can expose you to:
Who is most at risk
These germs are more likely to cause serious illness in:
- children under 5
- adults over 65
- pregnant women
- people with weakened immune systems
CDC's page on people at increased risk for food poisoning says more.
Bird flu is not a reason to drink it
CDC recommends against drinking raw milk contaminated with live A(H5N1) virus as a way to develop antibodies that protect against future disease from it. Drinking raw milk could make you sick.
Symptoms
Illness from raw milk can bring diarrhea, stomach cramps and vomiting. Some cases go further, to Guillain-Barré syndrome or hemolytic uremic syndrome, which can lead to paralysis, kidney failure, stroke or death.
How to stay safe
| Do | Why |
|---|---|
| Choose pasteurized milk and dairy products, and read the label | it is the safe way to get milk's nutrition |
| Keep perishable food at 40°F or colder | cold slows bacterial growth |
| Don't leave perishable food out for more than 2 hours — or 1 hour above 90°F, as in a hot car or at a picnic | between 40°F and 140°F, the "Danger Zone", bacteria can multiply quickly |
| Throw out food that is expired or spoiled | when in doubt, throw it out |
People who got sick
CDC has published short videos in which people describe illness after drinking raw milk: Julie's story, a family's experience; Mary's story, a mother's account of her son's illness; and Kalee's story.
Further reading
- CDC: Raw Milk: Know the Raw Facts (infographic, PDF)
- Foodborne Illness Outbreaks Linked to Unpasteurized Milk and Relationship to Changes in State Laws – United States, 1998–2018, Epidemiology and Infection
- FDA: Raw Milk Misconceptions and the Danger of Raw Milk Consumption
- FDA: The Dangers of Raw Milk: Unpasteurized Milk Can Pose a Serious Health Risk
- FDA: Raw Milk Questions and Answers
Sources
Based on "Raw Milk," Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; a work of the United States government in the public domain. A stock photograph and screenshots from the patients' videos are left out.
Licence: CC0 1.0 (public domain) · Adapted from www.cdc.gov
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