Should raw milk be on store shelves?

SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Express-News reports that Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller wants to see raw milk on grocery store shelves. Raw milk has not been pasteurized — the process of heating milk to a certain temperature to kill illness-causing bacteria. Miller said in an editorial on the state agency’s website that he grew up on a farm drinking milk straight from the cow, and he thinks others should be able to exercise their freedom to drink raw milk by making it more widely available. In Texas, people can currently buy raw milk from farms, farmers markets and the internet, but federal law prohibits its interstate sale, the editorial says. “Raw milk isn’t for everyone, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be available,” Miller said. “Just as we shouldn’t force people to consume something they don’t want, the government should allow people the right to choose what is best for their personal nutrition.”

Raw milk has been rising in consumer interest recently as a supposedly more natural alternative to pasteurized, homogenized milk with some health benefits. But raw milk can carry bacteria like Salmonella, E. coli, Listeria and Campylobacter, and consuming it can cause serious illness, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Both agencies say pasteurization does not reduce milk’s nutritional value. Last month, a child got bird flu virus after drinking raw milk from California. “While raw milk contains the same number of amino acids, antimicrobials, vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids as pasteurized milk; for some, it’s about taking the calculated risk to reap the benefits of milk in its purest form,” Miller said. The commissioner — whose job it is to over see the state’s agriculture, consumer protection, economic development and healthy living — acknowledged the health risks, but said they are risks worth taking. “It takes knowledge, care, and some good cowboy logic to handle raw milk safely,” he said. “Just because it’s risky doesn’t mean the option should be removed from the people either. I believe in personal choice and the freedom to decide what’s best for you and your family.”