What Is Raw Milk And Should You Drink It?

Milk is the first thing we humans drink when we enter the world, and there is no wonder why it remains a go-to source of nutrition for a lot of people throughout their lifespans. Both medical professionals and mainstream media encourage the consumption of the calcium rich beverage. The standard medical recommendation is that children can switch from their mother's milk (or formula) and start drinking cow's milk at a year old, a practice that often continues to adulthood. This typically means heading into your local grocery store and taking one of the most popular milk brands off of the shelves there. It's becoming increasingly popular, though, for individuals and families to consume raw milk, and this trend is highly controversial.

Those who drink raw milk, which is typically straight from the animal who produces it, are adamant in their choice to do so. They believe it to be more natural and an all-around more healthy addition to their diet. Those opposed to raw milk are equally adamant in their beliefs. The pros and cons of raw milk include both fact and myth, and it can be hard to differentiate between the two when those on either side of the argument have such strong opinions. Should people actually be drinking raw milk? We've taken a deep dive on all things milk, and we have an unbiased answer for you.

Like a lot of people, you probably don't think twice about what goes into a gallon of milk before picking it up from the store shelf. After all, the ingredients list is barebones, typically only featuring milk and vitamin D. There's a distinct difference between most of the milk on grocery store shelves and raw milk, though, and it quite literally boils down to one process.

Pasteurization may have a fancy name, but the process simply consists of heating up the milk in order to kill off bacteria. Most or all of the milk you've consumed in your life has likely been pasteurized. Raw milk lacks this process, in which the milk is usually heated to 161 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 15 seconds, and is instead consumed just how it comes out of the cow.

Raw milk has not been the standard since the 1920s, when pasteurization became commonplace in order to improve overall public health. As such, it's much more rare than pasteurized milk. Some of those with access to raw milk, either by purchasing or producing with their own animals, do still consume the controversial beverage.

Raw milk is very similar to any mammal milk, because raw milk can come from any mammal. Technically, human breast milk is raw milk. While cow's milk is the predominant milk that is consumed throughout the world, raw milk can also refer to unpasteurized goat's milk or any of the other less common milks from animals. Another difference between the milk found in abundance in stores versus raw milk is the breakdown in cream. Pasteurized milk commonly comes in skim, 1%, 2%, and whole milk. Raw milk is essentially whole milk, just without the heat added from pasteurization, and doesn't go through the process of removing fat.

When considering nut milk and other alternative milks, raw milk can be compared to pasteurized milk in terms of content and nutrition. Both pasteurized and raw milk will naturally have more protein and calcium than nut milk. Nut and plant-based milk can be fortified with calcium to make up for its natural lack. Nut and plant-based milk will usually come out superior in terms of fiber, though.

Another notable difference between cow's milk, whether raw or pasteurized, and alternative milks is going to actually be what's in the milk. Nut and seed milks have significantly more ingredients than the one or two in cow's milk. These ingredients can include added vitamins, sugar, and the notoriously vague "Natural Flavors" additive.

There are a lot of benefits that people who drink raw milk believe the beverage to have. These strongly held beliefs are one of the main reasons why raw milk is so controversial, because there is actually no scientific proof that these benefits exist. Both the CDC and FDA state that there is no evidence to support the belief that raw milk has any benefit over pasteurized milk.

However, those who advocate for raw milk claim that it is a living food that contains enzymes and probiotics that get killed off in the pasteurization process. Basically, the claim is that raw milk is a superfood that can heal your gut and improve your immune system. Some advocates claim that drinking raw milk can also cure things like asthma, lactose intolerance, and autoimmune disorders. Again, these claims have not taken root with the professionals and experts and remain a point of much speculation and even ire from those who stress the risk of raw milk.

The invention of pasteurization back in the late 1800s was seen as a huge leap forward in food safety and preventing disease. When it was discovered that heating milk could get rid of disease-causing bacteria, it didn't take too long for the process to become the standard and, in some places, mandatory. The stress put on pasteurizing milk comes from how dangerous consuming milk was previously.

Thanks to the bacteria that can be found in it, raw milk has the potential to cause a number of deadly diseases. Listeriosis, typhoid fever, salmonellosis, and a whole host of other harsh diseases can come from drinking raw milk. Symptoms like blood in your stool, organ failure, and blood infections are some of the worst that people who fall ill from raw milk face. Drinking raw milk can also end in death.

When it comes to the modern days, it's the bird flu that has people really worried. Food recalls aren't exactly rare these days, and milk has taken that hit more than once. However, one of the biggest raw milk recalls was in 2024 for an outbreak of salmonella. One of the experts' largest concerns regarding raw milk is the risk of humans contracting avian flu from contaminated milk.

The quality of milk is a product of the quality of the cow, which is in turn a product of the quality of its environment. Bad bacteria can come from a less than savory environment cows are kept in. These disease causing bacterias can also come from literally anything that comes into contact with milk after the very moment it leaves the utter.

Cows are not the cleanest animals and farms are not the cleanest of places. Animal feces are just a part of life on a farm, which is why you shouldn't be surprised to know that animal feces can wind up in the milk very easily. If the utters are contaminated with feces — which isn't abnormal — the milk will then become contaminated right at the source. Milking equipment that isn't properly cleaned between uses can also be a culprit, making every step of obtaining milk important in preventing exposure to bacteria.

Other than claimed health benefits that have not been scientifically proven, there are a number of reasons why people still choose to drink raw milk instead of pasteurized. Raw milk and pasteurized milk taste different, accordingly to raw milk lovers. They claim that the milk tastes much better than it does after pasteurization. Raw milk is also generally more fresh, and passes through less hands and processes, which gives it the illusion of being cleaner. Advocates for raw milk also make the argument that it is more sustainable and ethical. Opting for small farms typically means supporting small businesses that take care of their animals.

Another reason people choose to drink raw milk and not take the warnings against it very seriously is something called simply, survivor's bias. Survivor's bias is the belief that because they have done something repeatedly and nothing bad has happened, that it is perfectly safe. While it's great nothing bad happened to them or anyone they may know, it'd be irresponsible to discount those who have suffered after drinking raw milk.

Once upon a time, the only milk consumed was raw milk. Upon the invention of pasteurization in the 1860s, it quickly rose in popularity and became the standard in milk distribution. By the 1920s, raw milk was regulated. Despite this early adoption, it wasn't until 1987 that the FDA put its final regulation on raw milk. This included making it a federal crime to sell and distribute raw milk over state lines.

Now the laws surrounding raw milk are varying, with most of the decisions left up to the states. It's illegal to sell raw milk for human consumption in 36 states. It's widely known that people are buying the milk to consume it themselves, though. It is legal to consume raw milk in all 50 states and it's becoming increasingly easy to find as it's becoming more popular. Scotland and Australia are two of the few countries that put an all-out ban on raw milk.

Raw milk is trending for the same reason most things become popular in the modern world: social media and influencers. Homesteaders have found their corners of the internet, and their messages are reaching far and wide. Popular TikTokers like Hannah Neeleman of Ballerina Farm and Emily Morrow of Really Very Crunchy sing the praises of raw milk and educate their millions of followers to their way of life. It's easier to listen to those who you idolize than a faceless government entity, which is why consumption of raw milk is rising despite the CDC practically begging people to avoid the substance.

In a world where almost all the food you find in grocery stores is processed, it makes sense why so many people are trying to find healthy alternatives. Those who advocate for raw milk see pasteurized milk as just one more thing on the shelves that is processed, and having an alternative is attractive. The idea of purchasing milk straight from the farmer who milks the cow versus milk that has been through many hands and machines seems like a given. However, experts advise that milk is one of the items on your grocery list that you may want to keep processed.

Those who advocate for raw milk sure do have a lot of reasons why they do so. Interestingly enough, the majority of these reasons cannot be proven and are considered myths by respectable organizations. Every claim of raw milk being better for people has been refuted. The pasteurization process does not eliminate enzymes nor its nutrition levels, which is the main appeal of raw milk.

Another myth about raw milk is that it cures or prevents dairy allergies or doesn't affect those allergic to dairy. There have been many reports of raw milk drinkers being able to drink raw milk but being allergic to dairy. This has led the raw milk fans in believing that raw milk cures lactose intolerance, which there is no other evidence to prove.

One of the most interesting and dangerous myths about raw milk is that it doesn't spoil. Many fans of raw milk claim that the milk does not go bad, but that it only changes to other things. While this is technically true and raw milk can change to cheese and yogurt, it shouldn't just sit around waiting to transform. The mishandling of milk is how bad bacteria enters the milk in the first place and causes illness.

If there are risks associated with drinking raw milk, are there the same risks about eating dairy products and dishes made with raw milk? The answer is maybe, depending on which products and how hot the dish gets if it is heated during the process of making it. Dairy products like cheese, yogurt, and other foods made from milk without cooking have the same risks associated with them as raw milk itself. When it comes to cooking and baking, though, as long as the dish made with raw milk reaches 161 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 15 seconds, you should be in the clear.

Since heat is what makes raw milk safe to drink, enough heat also makes things made with raw milk safe. When you add raw milk to cake batter, for example, baking the dish essentially pasteurizes it. Logically, this would go for any raw milk product that is cooked in a dish as well. You just have to make sure the dish heats up internally to at least the temperature in which pasteurization happens.

Drinking raw milks comes with a set of risks, but those who have decided to consume the substance can lessen those risks significantly. Of course, raising and milking your own cows is the best way to ensure the milk you are getting is as sanitary as possible. The next best thing to milking a cow yourself is finding a small farm and building a relationship of trust. Check out their setup and ask plenty of questions before purchasing raw milk to drink. If at all possible, watch and understand the process the milk goes through from cow to bottle.

Some precautions you or the trusted farmer of your choice should be taking involves a whole lot of sanitizing. From the buckets, jugs, and bottles the milk rests in to the very utters the milk comes from, they need to be sanitized before any milk touches them. Even if you do everything right with raw milk, though, it is never 100% safe. Of course, your safest bet would be to boil your freshly milked milk — but then it would no longer be raw milk.

This is a moral question, really. If you've read this far and still wish to take the risk of drinking raw milk on yourself, that's one thing. However, is it ethical to take that risk on for your children as well? Parents have the tough responsibility of making health decisions for their children until they are old enough to make them for themselves. An informed decision is the best one.

Plenty of people feed their whole family raw milk. If they deem the substance safe for themselves, they typically feel it's safe for their children. It's important to note, though, that children are more at risk for seriously negative effects from raw milk than healthy adults are. This goes for people who are pregnant as well. If you've got a bun in the oven or a few fully cooked ones, then know that the perceived risk of falling ill from raw milk is even higher for them.

Despite health professionals and even some farmers warning against drinking raw milk, the answer to this question really has to come from you. Some people have consumed raw milk for their entire lives and insist on making it a part of their family's regular diet. Those who opt to drink raw milk knowingly do so against the strong recommendations of the CDC and the FDA.

Long answer short, if you are someone who follows scientific recommendations and trusts the entities that release them, don't drink raw milk. If, however, you put more faith in those who have experience drinking raw milk and potentially biased sources, you may choose to drink milk unpasteurized.

We can say this definitively in regards to your choice to drink raw milk: do not do so lightly. If you decide to move forward with drinking raw milk, take every precaution you can to do so as safely as you can. Also, know that you'll be going against widely accepted safety recommendations and if you share with your family, they may be at increased risk of falling ill.