“As we sat down here to write, we were all ready to pour ourselves a nice tall, cold one. A big glass of raw milk. Surely, something that nutritious and natural couldn’t really be harmful.
Then, our research led us to the websites of the Centers for Disease Control and the Food and Drug Administration.
Whew. It’s a wonder we’re even around to have this discussion.
Considering all the dangers associated with raw milk, and considering that pasteurization didn’t become widespread until the 1950s, it’s a miracle that our parents and grandparents ever survived childhood.
Raw milk probably isn’t something most people think much about, or go looking for. For most of us, milk comes from the dairy case at the back of the store. It’s full of calcium and protein and lots of other good stuff. It tastes good with cookies, and chocolate, and peanut butter crackers.
And as long as it’s not outdated, doesn’t smell funny or look a bit lumpy, it’s safe to drink. Right?
Right. But raw milk is a bit riskier. Or a lot riskier, depending on whom you ask.
Last week came news that an outbreak of bacterial illness had been tied to raw milk produced at a Franklin County dairy farm. As of this writing, 43 confirmed cases of campylobacter illness in four states have been blamed on milk from The Family Cow.
Since then, we’ve all learned a bit more about raw, or unpasteurized, milk – the dangers, the regulations and the benefits many people believe it has….’