The battle over unpasteurized milk products is heating up.
Advocates of fresh-from-the-farm unprocessed foods tout “raw” milk as the
ultimate health food, claiming it is rich in disease-fighting nutrients and
healthy enzymes that are lost in pasteurization. But public health officials are
unequivocal that the risks of fresh milk far outweigh any benefits, and that
pasteurizationheating milk at temperatures high enough to kill harmful
bacteriais the only way to ensure its safety.
Now amid new reports of illnesses linked to raw milk the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration are stepping up
efforts to warn consumers of the dangers, and urging states to strengthen their
regulations to minimize the hazards of raw milk. The FDA is also reviewing its
policy covering hard cheeses made from raw milk, which are currently approved
for sale if aged 60 days. A federal microbiology advisory committee has raised
questions about whether that is sufficient to kill pathogens, as long believed.
On Friday, the FDA reported 12 new cases of illness in the Midwest linked to raw
milk from a dairy contaminated with a dangerous bacterium, campylobacter. “Raw
milk is inherently dangerous and should not be consumed by anyone, at any time,
for any reason,” says John Sheehan, director of the FDA’s division of plant- and
dairy-food safety.
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