Despite evidence that raw or unpasteurized milk carries health risks, growing numbers of consumers are skirting laws prohibiting the sale of unpasteurized milk through creative solutions called "cow sharing." In theory, the practice allows them to buy part of an animal and then, as a co-owner, acquire and drink its raw milk.
But some states
Dee Creek Farms, the Washington dairy that was the source of an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak among Washington and Oregon residents in 2005, has recently obtained a license to sell raw goats milk.
After the farm underwent renovations and constructed a milking area, the Washington Department of Agriculture granted Dee Creek Farms a license to
KSDK TV in St. Louis reported today on the raw milk debate.
Purchasers and producers of raw milk believe drinking unpasteurized milk enhances their health. Public health officials believe the risks of drinking raw milk and contracting potentially fatal illnesses such as E. coli O157:H7 and Campylobacter infections are too high, and that people should
Drinking raw (untreated) milk or eating raw milk products is "like playing Russian roulette with your health," says John Sheehan, director of the Food and Drug Administration’s Division of Dairy and Egg Safety. "We see a number of cases of foodborne illness every year related to the consumption of raw milk."
More than 300 people