Food Trends Spotlight: Raw Milk

Consumption of raw milk is a growing trend within local and sustainable food movements. Not only does raw milk represent a return to basic and traditional farming, but its advocates also insist that it is healthy and, unlike its pasteurized counterpart, really 'does a body good.'

Good raw milk comes from grass-grazing cows milked in clean environments. Because it foregoes the pasteurization process, it is said to retain nutrients and enzymes that are beneficial to human immune systems and health in general. Some even say that raw milk is a kind of super food - that it alone is responsible for fixing problems with digestion or allergies. But beyond all the hype, what's the difference between raw and pasteurized milk? If you're thinking about trying raw milk, you will definitely want to have all the information.

Raw vs. Pasteurized

Raw milk is illegal in 22 states. In these states, milk is regulated for the protection of the consumer. Milk that is intended for human consumption is pasteurized in order to ensure that it doesn't become contaminated with bacteria. Cows are not the cleanest of animals. Plus, cows that are fed grain and injected with hormones and antibiotics generate milk that is arguably much lower in quality than milk made by grass-fed and hormone-free cows. For milk coming from large or conventional dairy operations, it is a good idea to pasteurize milk.

But it is it a good idea to pasteurize all milk? Is it necessary? Is it even fair to keep consumers from the option of obtaining raw milk if they want it?

Most Milk Needs to Be Pasteurized

In reality, most of the milk produced in modern U.S. dairies needs to be pasteurized. This is because of the unnatural nature of milk creation and collection. Most U.S. dairies not only feed cows grain, but they use a combination of hormones and other stimulants and drugs in order to get the maximum quantity of milk from their cows. This often leads to mastitis, an inflammation of the teats, which causes a great quantity of white blood cells, or pus, to be pumped out along with the milk. And so, most milk in the U.S. is simply unsuited to be consumed in a raw form. In essence, pasteurization is the dairy farm's solution to bad diet and the administration of too many drugs.

Raw Milk As Part of a Movement

Raw milk, though it carries some risks, embodies the ideals of environmental food movements. The safeness of raw milk relies on small farms that allow their cows to graze naturally, and can manage their facilities without the use of modern shortcuts.

Increasingly, environmental advocates are choosing to eat food that comes from sources they can easily identify. Small grocery stores and farmer's markets, which give specific information regarding farms and farming practices, are vital elements of the environmental movement because they allow individuals to make better, more informed decisions about their food. Raw milk vendors are very often a part of the local food movement, with small operations serving a grateful nearby community.

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