Although many farmers test their milk for pathogens, Davis says she isn’t confident that testing is broad enough. “I have not seen comprehensive testing that would come anywhere close, given the wide variety of different pathogens you’d need to [test for],” she says.
It’s one set of decisions to take on some amount of risk for yourself, she explains, but drinking raw milk can potentially expose you to diseases that are infectious to others. Specifically, “infants and children, people who are older, [people] who have comorbidities,” she says. “Thinking about their health and safety is also critically important.”
What’s the appeal of raw milk?
Some people say raw milk is worth the potential risks. The Weston A. Price Foundation, a nonprofit named for the early-20th-century dentist who believed strong teeth could be credited to raw milk, is one vocal advocate. The WAPF claims that raw milk is an elixir that can provide beneficial bacteria and digest more easily than other milk, because the lack of processing makes the vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and fats bvbv for our bodies to absorb. (Past studies have shown that raw milk can promote both the increase of probiotics and harmful bacteria; the jury diverges on whether it does digest more easily.) For Sally Morell, president of the WAPF, any risks associated with raw milk are no greater than those associated with any other food. “There is not a food out there,” she says, “that isn’t a potential carrier of pathogenic organisms.”
Mark McAfee, CEO and founder of Raw Farms, a raw dairy product distributor, is something of a raw milk evangelist. “Raw milk is like breast milk: non-allergenic, full of good bacteria, the ultimate immune-booster,” he claims. Other advocates have alleged its consumption decreases risk of allergies and asthma in children; little research is available on this, but some studies have supported it.
According to Rebecca Bates of Little Acres Farm in Lovell, Wyoming, which has been selling raw milk for over a decade, those alleged health benefits are a big draw. Her farm now sells more than a hundred gallons of raw milk per week. She says many customers note that although they’ve had problems digesting commercial milk in the past, raw milk doesn’t cause issues. “The people that struggle with milk can drink raw milk,” she says. Her claim isn’t in line with a study by John Lucey, a professor of food science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, which found “no obvious reason why raw milk could assist with lactose intolerance.”
For Ty Kotz, a private chef based in South Carolina, where raw milk can be sold at farmers markets and retail stores, it’s about flavor. “You really get the terroir of the farm itself,” he says. He suggests raw milk has a richer flavor and higher fat content, noting its flavor is largely based on seasonality and what the cows might be eating at that particular time of year. “When you’re used to drinking raw milk and then you have normal milk,” he says, “it’s almost flavorless.”
What’s the future of raw milk’s legal status?
With significant health risks come tight regulations. Federal regulation bans the sale of raw milk across state lines. But on an intrastate level, the sale of raw milk varies state-by-state. Most states permit the sale of raw milk in some way, with regulations being updated frequently. In some areas, retail stores can sell raw milk, while in others, it must be sold on a farm’s premises. Other states permit it to be used exclusively for pet food. New Jersey is the only state that outlaws the sale of raw milk entirely.
Morell, of the WAPF, is hoping Kennedy’s appointment will mean changes in the restrictions around the sale of raw milk. “What I would like to see is one of Bobby’s agencies,” she said, referring to Kennedy, “issue model legislation for retail sale of raw milk and raw milk products.”
At the federal level, a Kennedy-run HHS could alter or do away with the 1987 FDA regulation over restrictions concerning transport and sale of raw milk across state lines. Davis, the Johns Hopkins professor, says a shift in restrictions could change the trajectory of avian flu in the US, putting consumers, cattle herds, and even pets at risk for H5N1. “If we get movement of raw milk,” she says, “now you have a potentially infectious product being moved across state borders where we’ve been desperately trying to limit movement.”
Still, according to proponents like Morell, the raw milk movement is bigger than Kennedy. She’s “thrilled” about Kennedy’s selection for the post, but adds,“raw milk is going forward whether he’s there or not. It’s a big freight train.”
This story includes reporting by Juno DeMelo.
