Since April, there have been 613 people identified as infected with Salmonella St. Paul in this country. For the most part, consumers have embraced the warnings and precautions put out by the FDA. (btw, Barfblog has an excellent collection of posts on this subject, including suggestions for ensuring safety of farmer’s market tomatoes).

From 1998-2005 there were 831 illnesses reported from unpasturized (raw) milk and cheese. Considering the number of people eating tomatoes vs. consuming raw milk, the per-consumer illness rate has got to be much higher for milk. Yet, government intervention in raw milk sales is not met with nearly the same attitude as seen in the case of tomatoes. Why?

For one thing, milk is probably the most emotion-charged food there is. It is so closely associated with children and wholesomeness that is it literally a “sacred cow” when it comes to safety, adulteration, regulation, hormones, antibiotics…. I’ve seen more conflicting statistics quoted about raw milk than almost any other food topic I’ve researched. (What’s that saying about lies, damned lies and statistics?). It’s hard to find a balanced piece of reporting on this topic, but there was one in the Seattle PI recently.

Raw milk advocates abound, and have some valid, or at least interesting points. For one thing, it DOES taste better (IMHO). There are claims of it being less of an allergen, easier to digest, and more healthful in a number of ways. There are a number of sites promoting raw milk. Sadly, most of them seem so fanatical, that I find it hard have faith in their statements and facts. If any of you know of good, sound, science-based raw milk sites or references, please let me know!

So, I’m not going to give you a pat yes or no answer on raw milk. If you choose to go raw, I will advise you to at least be sure of the following:

• purchase from a state-certified dairy (this is one reason I hate to see states outlaw raw milk-it turns it into an unregulated black-market item)
• be absolutely certain the milk is chilled immediately (this is not just stuck in the refrigerator, it is chilled in the equivalent of a circulating ice bath)
• drink your raw milk before it is a week old (the sooner the better). This means a week from when it was milked, NOT purchased!
• Be sure your dairy is testing routinely for coliform and other bacterial contaminants
• visit the dairy, if possible, before you trust their product. i.e. know your producer

I grew up on the raw milk produced by my family’s traditional dairy farm. We drank the milk from our bulk milk tank; it was not pasteurized until it got to the processing plant. BUT, I’m not even tempted to buy raw milk now. The primary reason is that without pasteurization, I am completely reliant on the producer to ensure that my milk is safe. In addition, the raw milk I grew up on was consumed within 24-48 hours of milking. I find it extremely difficult to trust raw milk from a dairy shelf in the health food store. I do know some local, certified raw milk dairies from which I would be comfortable purchasing. They all have waiting lists for customers.

1. Alysha Says:
   June 26th, 2008 at 6:29am

   Hello:

   A good web site to read some good scientific data about raw milk is www.realmilk.com and www.westonaprice.org. The Weston A Price Foundation is a great source for all kinds of scientific data in relation to food and health.

   Happy reading,
   Alysha



2. suzannabanana23 Says:
   June 28th, 2008 at 6:17pm

   Thanks, Alysha and Sara, for the info. While at the beach I noticed that a gallon of regular old non-organic, not-raw milk was NEARLY FIVE DOLLARS. Since the guys in this house go through THREE gallons a day (do the math), I think we’re sticking with the regular stuff. YIPES! What will we do when they’re teens???



3. Jeff Says:
   August 3rd, 2008 at 2:49pm

   I know raw milk is no panacea. But my children no longer have excema and my niece who has asthma when she drinks store milk sleeps soundly with raw milk in her belly. We go through 30 gallons every 6 weeks. I will never go back to dead milk. Legal or not.



4. Sara Says:
   August 4th, 2008 at 6:38pm

   Since I wrote this piece, a friend has opened their Grade A raw milk dairy. We’ve been getting their milk fresh from the bulk tank for several weeks now. Following my own advice, we get it within 24 hours of milking and drink it within a week, making sure to keep it cold the whole time.

   My kids are loving it, and I am reminded of my childhood each time I drink it (and especially when I drop that rich cream in my coffee). It is interesting to note, however, that, similar to avoiding feeding honey to babies, the dairy owner buys pasteurized milk for his own 3-month old.



5. Jake Says:
   August 25th, 2009 at 3:24am

   salmonella is a very dangerous and deadly bacteria. foods that are contaminated with it should be disposed immediately.