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\nRaw milk is milk that has not been pasteurized to kill harmful bacteria. Raw milk can carry harmful germs, such as Campylobacter, Cryptosporidium, E. coli, Listeria, Brucella, and Salmonella. These germs can pose serious health risks to you and your family.
\nRead the topics below to get answers to commonly asked questions about raw milk.
\nRaw milk is milk that has not been pasteurized to kill harmful bacteria. Raw milk can be contaminated with harmful germs that can make you very sick. In fact, raw milk is one of the riskiest foods.
\nPeople who get sick from raw milk might have many days of diarrhea, stomach cramping, and vomiting. Some people might develop severe or even life-threatening diseases, including:
\nHere are some things you should know:
\nPeople most at risk for severe foodborne illness are adults 65 years and older, children younger than 5 years, and people with weakened immune systems. But healthy people of any age can get very sick after drinking raw milk contaminated with harmful germs.
\nYes. Raw milk and products made from raw milk, including soft cheese, ice cream, and yogurt, can be contaminated with germs that can cause serious illness, hospitalization, or death. Make the best decision for your health and the health of your family by always choosing pasteurized milk and products made with it. If you or your family member have consumed raw milk and get sick, seek medical attention immediately.
\nPasteurization is the process of heating milk to a high enough temperature for a long enough time to kill harmful germs. Pasteurized milk is milk that has gone through this process.
\nPasteurization was invented during a time when millions of people became sick and died of tuberculosis, scarlet fever, typhoid fever, and other diseases that were spread through raw milk.
\nRoutine pasteurization of milk began in the United States in the 1920s and became widespread by 1950 as a way to reduce contamination and reduce human illnesses. It led to dramatic reductions in the number of people getting sick. Most public health professionals and health care providers consider pasteurization to be one of public health\u2019s most effective food safety interventions ever!
\nMany medical and scientific organizations recommend pasteurization for all milk consumed by humans; these organizations include CDC, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Veterinary Medical Association, the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians, and others.
\nMost of the nutritional benefits of drinking milk are available from pasteurized milk without the risk of disease that comes with drinking raw milk.
\nMultiple studies have shown that pasteurization does not significantly affect the nutritional quality of milk. Scientists do not have any evidence that shows a nutritional benefit from drinking raw milk.
\nPasteurized milk and products made from it have occasionally caused illnesses and outbreaks. Usually, this has happened because germs got in the milk or milk product after the milk was pasteurized.
\nPasteurized milk is very unlikely to contain harmful germs if it is
\nConsidering the large amount of pasteurized milk that people drink, illness from it is very rare.
\nMilk can get contaminated in these ways:
\nPasteurization can kill germs in milk that can make people very sick.
\nNo. Pasteurization is the best way to get rid of harmful germs in milk and the only method regularly used in the United States.
\nNo. Negative laboratory tests to detect germs in raw milk do not guarantee that raw milk is safe to drink. Tests do not always detect low levels of contamination. People have become very sick from drinking raw milk that came from farms that regularly tested their milk for bacteria.
\nNo. Outbreaks of illness linked to raw milk have been traced back to both grass-fed and grain-fed animals.
\nNo. Raw milk, regardless of whether it is organic, can contain harmful germs. Pasteurized organic milk is available in many places, including supermarkets, farmers\u2019 markets, and dairies.
\nNo. No raw milk is safe. Look for pasteurized milk at farmers markets and farm stands.
\nFollowing good hygiene practices on the farm and during milking can reduce the chance of milk contamination \u2013 but not eliminate it.
\nIllness-causing germs thrive in the environment of dairy farms, even if the farm or barns are kept clean and the farmers are careful when milking. Farmers cannot guarantee that their raw milk and the products made from it are free of harmful germs, even if tests indicate the raw milk does not contain harmful germs.
\nYes. Even healthy animals may carry germs that can contaminate milk. Small numbers of bacteria can multiply and grow in milk from the time it is collected until the time a person drinks it. If the milk is not pasteurized to kill germs, people who drink it can get sick.
\nMethods for collecting milk have improved over the years but cannot be relied on to be sure milk is safe to drink. Raw milk from \u201ccertified,\u201d \u201corganic,\u201d or \u201clocal\u201d dairies is not guaranteed to be safe. Pasteurization makes milk safe to drink. You can find pasteurized organic milk and products made from it at many locations.
\nMany people believe that foods with little to no processing are better for their health. Many people also believe that small, local farms are better sources of healthy food. However, some types of processing are needed to protect health. One type of processing happens when we cook raw meat, chicken and other poultry, and fish to make them safe to eat. Similarly, when milk is pasteurized, it is made safe by heating it at a high enough temperature for long enough to kill disease-causing germs. Most nutrients remain in milk after it is pasteurized.
\nRaw milk contains bacteria, and some of them can be harmful. If you\u2019re thinking about consuming raw milk because you believe it is a good source of beneficial bacteria, keep in mind that you may instead get sick from the harmful bacteria. If you think that certain types of bacteria may be beneficial to your health, consider getting them from foods that don\u2019t involve such a high risk.
\nThe presence of germs in raw milk is unpredictable. People can drink it for a long time without getting sick, and then get sick if their milk is contaminated.
\nIn some states it is legal to buy or sell raw milk. Because of the chance for serious illness, federal law prohibits dairies from distributing raw milk across state lines in final package form (packaged so that it can be consumed). This means that raw milk can be distributed across state lines only if it is going to undergo additional processing (e.g., pasteurization or used to make certain types of cheeses) before being sold to consumers. Each state makes its own laws about selling raw milk within the borders of the state. In fewer than half of states, selling raw milk directly to consumers is illegal. In the remaining 27 states, raw milk may be sold directly to consumers in some capacity.
\nFrom 2013 through 2018, 75 outbreaks reported to CDC were linked to raw milk. These outbreaks included 675 illnesses and 98 hospitalizations. Most of the outbreaks were caused by Campylobacter, Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, or Salmonella.
\nCDC collects data on foodborne disease outbreaks voluntarily reported by state, local, or territorial health departments.
\nReported outbreaks represent the tip of the iceberg. Most illnesses are not part of a recognized outbreak, and for every outbreak and every illness reported, many others occur.
\nMany raw milk outbreaks involve people 19 years or younger. At least one person younger than 19 was involved in 48% of the raw milk outbreaks reported to CDC from 2013 through 2018. Of the 74 outbreaks that occurred in a single state, 58 (78%) were in states where the sale of unpasteurized milk was allowed.
\nYes. States that allow the legal sale of raw milk for human consumption have more raw milk\u2013related outbreaks than states that do not allow raw milk to be sold legally.
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