The Milk Problem: Why a Growing Number of Consumers Want it Raw

When most people grab a gallon of milk off of the shelf in the grocery store, they don’t stop to think about the process that put the milk on the shelf. The milk we consume is pasteurized, homogenized, and fortified, theoretically making it safe, no-hassle, and healthy. Most of us view the pasteurization of milk as a rote scientific procedure that leads to unquestionably better results, like fluoridation of water or childhood vaccination.

The FDA regards un-pasteurized or raw milk as an inherently dangerous substance, and in most states it is illegal for a farmer to sell raw milk. Many states go farther, making it illegal for farmers to give away raw milk for free. Yet there is a small but active movement in defense of raw milk. Proponents of raw milk range from doctors and patients who believe in its health benefits, to farmers who have been consuming their own raw milk for years, to food purists searching for unprocessed, local food. All believe the blanket demonization of raw milk to be unwarranted.

This blog explores the history of milk pasteurization, covering the origins of mandatory pasteurization requirements, the emergence of the raw milk movement, and the current debate today. I also tell my own story, as I learn about the world of raw dairy first hand as the new owner of a cow share (purely for the sake of research, of course!).

For most people, myself included, the debate isn’t over whether or not pasteurized milk should be eliminated; it is about an educated consumer’s right to choose what to put into his or her body and the return to a more direct relationship between producers and consumers.