Raw Milk: Risks, Recent Events, and Consumers' Choices

Raw milk is unpasteurized milk and it can carry bacteria and viruses. Pasteurization kills harmful germs by heating milk. Public health records show 202 outbreaks linked to raw milk from 1998 through 2018; these events caused 2,645 illnesses and 228 hospitalizations. Between 2009 and 2021, 143 outbreaks were confirmed or suspected to involve raw milk. In 2024, retail milk monitoring detected influenza A(H5N1) viral RNA in many samples, which raised concern about contaminated raw milk.

In early 2026 several states considered bills to expand legal sales of unpasteurized milk, and some advocacy groups such as MAHA have supported greater consumer choice. Health agencies and veterinary associations oppose wider sales because raw milk is associated with Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria and other pathogens. Consumers who are pregnant, elderly, very young, or immunocompromised face higher risk, and public health guidance recommends pasteurized milk to reduce those risks.