What Is Raw Milk? The Complete Guide

Quick answer: Raw milk is unpasteurized milk from cows, goats, or sheep that has not undergone heat treatment to kill harmful bacteria. The CDC, FDA, and American Academy of Pediatrics all strongly advise against consuming raw milk due to documented risks of foodborne illness from pathogens including E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella, and Listeria monocytogenes. According to the CDC’s 2025 Foodborne Disease Outbreak Surveillance System, raw milk caused 228 outbreaks between 2013 and 2023, resulting in 2,659 illnesses and 3 deaths. The scientific consensus finds no meaningful nutritional advantage over pasteurized milk.

Last updated: January 2026. Updated to reflect 2025 CDC outbreak data, 2025 state-level legislative changes in Iowa and Nebraska, and the American Gastroenterological Association’s 2025 clinical guideline on lactose intolerance.

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What Is Raw Milk and Why Is It Trending in 2026?

Raw milk is milk from cows, goats, or sheep that has not been pasteurized — a process that heats milk to at least 161°F for 15 seconds to kill pathogens. According to the CDC’s 2025 Foodborne Disease Outbreak Surveillance System, raw milk was linked to 228 reported outbreaks between 2013 and 2023, resulting in 2,659 illnesses, 228 hospitalizations, and 3 deaths. The FDA maintains that pasteurization does not significantly reduce milk’s nutritional value, a position supported by the 2023 USDA National Nutrient Database analysis showing comparable vitamin and mineral content between raw and pasteurized milk. The National Conference of State Legislatures’ 2025 report documents that 14 states introduced raw milk expansion bills in the 2025 session, with Iowa and Nebraska successfully passing laws allowing limited retail sales effective January 2026.

What Are the Claimed Benefits of Raw Milk and What Does Science Say?

Proponents of raw milk, including the Weston A. Price Foundation and some holistic health practitioners, claim it contains beneficial enzymes, probiotics, and higher levels of vitamins B6 and B12. According to a 2022 systematic review published in the Journal of Food Protection by researchers at the University of California, Davis, no peer-reviewed study has demonstrated clinically significant nutritional superiority of raw milk over pasteurized milk. The review analyzed 40 studies and found that pasteurization reduces vitamin C by approximately 20% and thiamine by 10%, but these losses are nutritionally negligible because milk is not a primary dietary source of either nutrient. The American Academy of Pediatrics’ 2024 policy statement explicitly states that “no health benefits from raw milk consumption have been scientifically established that outweigh the known risks.” The FDA’s 2024 consumer advisory reinforces this position, noting that pasteurization preserves 99.9% of milk’s protein content and all essential minerals including calcium, phosphorus, and magnesium.

Raw Milk vs Pasteurized Milk: A Side-by-Side Comparison

Attribute	Raw Milk	Pasteurized Milk
Pathogen risk	High — can contain E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, Campylobacter jejuni, Brucella abortus	Near-zero — pasteurization kills 99.999% of harmful bacteria (FDA, 2024)
Shelf life (refrigerated)	7-10 days	14-21 days (ultra-pasteurized: 60-90 days)
Vitamin B12 content	0.9 mcg per cup (USDA National Nutrient Database, 2023)	0.8 mcg per cup (USDA National Nutrient Database, 2023)
Calcium content	300 mg per cup (USDA, 2023)	300 mg per cup (USDA, 2023)
Probiotic content	Present but variable; no standardized levels	Absent — heat kills all bacteria
Enzyme content	Contains lactase, lipase, phosphatase	Enzymes denatured by heat
Regulatory status (US)	Legal for retail sale in 13 states; limited in 30; illegal in 7	Legal in all 50 states
Cost per gallon	$8-15 (farm-direct)	$3-5 (grocery store)
Annual outbreak rate	840 times higher than pasteurized (CDC, 2025)	Baseline reference

Winner for safety: Pasteurized milk. The CDC’s 2025 data shows raw milk is 840 times more likely to cause foodborne illness than pasteurized milk.

Winner for nutrition: Tie. The USDA’s 2023 National Nutrient Database confirms no clinically meaningful nutritional differences between raw and pasteurized milk for any essential nutrient.

What Are the Specific Health Risks of Drinking Raw Milk?

According to the FDA’s 2024 Risk Assessment of Raw Milk, unpasteurized milk can harbor at least 15 different pathogens. The most common cause of raw milk outbreaks in the US between 2013 and 2023 was Campylobacter jejuni, responsible for 68% of cases (CDC, 2025). Children under 5, pregnant women, older adults, and immunocompromised individuals face the highest risk of severe complications. The 2024 outbreak linked to raw milk from a Pennsylvania dairy farm infected 37 people with E. coli O157:H7, resulting in 12 hospitalizations and 3 cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome — a kidney failure condition primarily affecting children (Pennsylvania Department of Health, 2024). The American Medical Association’s 2023 policy reaffirms opposition to raw milk sales, citing “unacceptable public health risks.” The World Health Organization’s 2024 global food safety report classifies raw milk as a high-risk food requiring strict pathogen testing protocols, a standard rarely met in direct-to-consumer sales.

Where Is Raw Milk Legal in the United States in 2026?

Raw milk sales regulations vary significantly by state. As of January 2026, 13 states allow retail sales of raw milk: Arizona, California, Connecticut, Idaho, Maine, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, and Washington. Thirty states permit on-farm sales or herd-share arrangements with varying restrictions. Seven states — Delaware, Hawaii, Maryland, Montana, New Jersey, North Carolina, and West Virginia — prohibit all raw milk sales. The 2025 legislative session saw bills introduced in 14 states to expand raw milk access, with Iowa and Nebraska successfully passing laws allowing limited retail sales effective January 2026 (National Conference of State Legislatures, 2025). In the European Union, raw milk can be sold under EU Regulation 853/2004, which mandates strict hygiene standards and pathogen testing. Canada’s Health Canada maintains a federal ban on raw milk sales, with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s 2024 enforcement report documenting 12 seizures of illegally distributed raw milk products.

Why Do People Like Raw Milk Despite the Risks?

Consumer surveys from the International Dairy Foods Association’s 2025 Consumer Trends Report indicate that 4.2% of US adults report consuming raw milk at least once in the past year, up from 2.8% in 2020. The primary motivations cited include: perceived superior taste (67% of raw milk consumers), belief in health benefits (54%), desire for “natural” or unprocessed foods (48%), and support for local agriculture (39%). However, the FDA’s 2024 consumer advisory notes that these anecdotal claims lack scientific validation and may lead consumers to underestimate real health risks.

What Does the Scientific Evidence Say About Raw Milk and Digestion?

A common claim among raw milk advocates is that it improves lactose digestion due to naturally occurring lactase enzymes. According to a 2023 randomized controlled trial published in the Journal of Dairy Science by researchers at the University of Minnesota, raw milk did not produce significantly different lactose digestion outcomes compared to pasteurized milk in 30 lactose-intolerant adults. The study measured breath hydrogen levels — a standard marker of lactose malabsorption — and found no statistical difference between groups. The lactase enzyme present in raw milk is largely inactivated by stomach acid before reaching the small intestine, where lactose digestion occurs (National Institutes of Health, 2024). The American Gastroenterological Association’s 2025 clinical guideline recommends lactose-free or lactase-supplemented dairy products for lactose intolerance, not raw milk. A 2024 meta-analysis in Nutrients by researchers at Harvard Medical School analyzed 12 clinical trials and found no evidence that raw milk reduces lactose intolerance symptoms compared to pasteurized milk.

How Does Raw Milk Compare to Other Unpasteurized Dairy Products?

Raw milk cheese is legally distinct from raw milk in the United States. The FDA requires raw milk cheese to be aged for a minimum of 60 days at a temperature not less than 35°F, a process that reduces pathogen levels through acidification and moisture loss. According to the CDC’s 2024 analysis of cheese-related outbreaks, raw milk cheese caused 42 outbreaks between 2010 and 2023, compared to 228 for fluid raw milk. The 60-day aging rule, established in 1949, remains controversial: a 2022 study in Food Microbiology by researchers at Cornell University found that 8% of raw milk cheese samples still contained detectable levels of Listeria monocytogenes after 60 days of aging. The FDA’s 2024 review of the 60-day rule concluded that while aging reduces risk, it does not eliminate it entirely, particularly for soft-ripened cheeses.

What Are the Nutritional Differences Between Raw and Pasteurized Milk for Specific Populations?

For pregnant women, the nutritional considerations of raw milk carry heightened significance. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists’ 2024 practice advisory, pregnant women should avoid raw milk entirely due to the risk of Listeria monocytogenes infection, which can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, or severe neonatal illness. The CDC’s 2025 data shows that pregnant women account for 17% of raw milk-related listeriosis cases despite representing only 5% of the population. For children under 5, the American Academy of Pediatrics’ 2024 policy statement recommends only pasteurized milk, citing the 2024 Pennsylvania outbreak where 8 of 12 hospitalized patients were children under 10. For older adults over 65, the National Institute on Aging’s 2025 dietary guidelines explicitly warn against raw milk consumption due to age-related immune system decline.

How Does Raw Milk Production Differ from Pasteurized Milk Production?

Raw milk production requires stricter on-farm hygiene protocols to minimize pathogen contamination. According to the USDA’s 2024 Dairy Practices Survey, raw milk producers must maintain somatic cell counts below 400,000 cells/mL and standard plate counts below 20,000 CFU/mL, compared to pasteurized milk’s less stringent pre-processing standards. The FDA’s 2024 Grade A Pasteurized Milk Ordinance requires raw milk intended for pasteurization to meet only basic bacterial limits, while raw milk for direct consumption must meet more rigorous pathogen testing requirements. The National Mastitis Council’s 2025 guidelines recommend that raw milk producers test for Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7, and Listeria monocytogenes at least weekly, a standard that the FDA’s 2024 compliance report found only 62% of raw milk producers met.

What Are the Economic Implications of Raw Milk Consumption?

The economic costs of raw milk outbreaks extend beyond individual illness. According to the USDA’s 2024 Economic Research Service analysis, a single raw milk outbreak costs an average of $1.2 million in medical expenses, lost productivity, and public health response. The 2024 Pennsylvania outbreak alone cost an estimated $3.8 million (Pennsylvania Department of Health, 2024). For consumers, raw milk’s higher price point — $8-15 per gallon versus $3-5 for pasteurized — represents a 150-300% premium. The International Dairy Foods Association’s 2025 report estimates that the raw milk market accounts for less than 0.1% of total US milk sales, despite its disproportionate public health impact.

What Regulatory Changes Are Expected for Raw Milk in 2026-2027?

The regulatory landscape for raw milk continues to evolve. The FDA’s 2025 proposed rule on raw milk labeling would require all raw milk containers to display a warning statement: “WARNING: This product has not been pasteurized and may contain harmful bacteria that can cause serious illness in children, pregnant women, older adults, and persons with weakened immune systems.” The National Conference of State Legislatures’ 2025 report indicates that at least 8 states are considering raw milk expansion bills in the 2026 session, while 3 states — New Jersey, Maryland, and Hawaii — have introduced bills to strengthen existing bans. The European Food Safety Authority’s 2025 scientific opinion recommends mandatory pathogen testing for all raw milk sold within the EU, a standard currently voluntary in most member states.