Some Raw Facts About “Raw” Milk and Other Health Issues Is fresh
(“raw”) milk risky? Yes, of course. There are risks in
everything. But how risky is so-called raw milk? Here are some
important comparisons. All dairy products accounted for just
3.7% of food-borne illnesses between 1990 and 2003. Meat
products accounted for 28% of the total, and produce was not far
behind at 20%. Why don’t public health professionals make these
comparisons? 1) They are professionals, by training and
disposition inclined to focus on the question at hand and not
the larger picture. 2) They are public health professionals,
dedicated to eliminating any possible threat to health. 3) They
work from a textbook history of milk production that mistakes
late nineteenth century urban dairies and disease outbreaks for
the rule throughout history. 1Scallan E, Griffin PM, Angulo FJ,
Tauxe RV, Hoekstra RM “Foodborne Illness Acquired in the United
States—Unspecified Agents,” Emerging Infectious Diseases, Vol.
17, No. 1, Centers for Disease Con