If you drink raw milk, you shall surely die. Perhaps not quite, but due to risk of E. coli and other dangerous bacteria, John Sheehan, director of the FDA’s Division of Dairy and Egg Safety, compares drinking raw milk to “playing Russian roulette with your health.” Raw milk consumption is on the rise, however, favoring the touted health benefits over the potential dangers.
Conventional wisdom generally glosses over the upsides of raw milk, focusing on the hazards instead. The USDA and other official entities stand firmly against raw milk, although pasteurization produces lactose intolerance in some consumers who can drink raw milk without problems. Raw milk also helps prevent other allergies and even heart disease.
In response to the doom-laden critiques of raw milk, its supporters suggest that pasteurized milk is in fact the deader half of the debate. Raw milk is vibrant with life, chock-full of beneficial bacteria and enzymes that help digestion and improve the nutritional quality of the milk. The pasteurization and homogenization process, however, destroys these useful organisms and leaves the milk – for lack of a better term – dead. In addition, raw milk’s health hazards may be overstated. When raw milk is taken care of in a clean and safe environment, none of the dangerous pathogens – disease-causing organisms and bacteria – can be found. For these reasons, Organic Pastures, a California raw milk dairy, says that with raw milk, “the living gives life.”
In the 1800s, pasteurization helped reduce disease by purifying unhealthy milk produced in the inner cities. During this same period, however, institutions such as the Mayo Clinic used the clean, raw milk from the countryside both as “a basis for many disease-curing therapies” and as a medicine. Unfortunately, pasteurization has held over into the age of modern medicine and health practices, while raw milk has gained a less healthy reputation.
In the modern era, however, healthy production techniques help raw milk experience a renaissance. Small dairy farmer Eric Vimont explains the three legs that quality raw milk has to stand on. First, he ensures that the cows’ diet consists of no grain and plenty of grass, increasing the milk’s taste and nutritional value. Second, he maintains a high standard of cleanliness for the equipment, milking parlor, and the cows. Finally, he immediately transfers milk into bottles and cools it, forestalling any infestation by harmful bacteria. Following all three items results in premium quality raw milk that carries little to no health risk.
Large, mass-producing dairy farms cannot guarantee the quality control and cleanliness found on smaller farms like Eric Vimont’s four-man operation. On the other hand, those who can afford to take the time to give their cows (and customers) individual consideration could greatly benefit from providing high quality raw milk to health-conscious consumers.
The supermarkets are stocked full of cold, sterile, pasteurized milk. However, folks who appreciate health, freshness, and flavor should consider on the wild side and giving raw milk a try.
