Raw milk is risky, especially for kids. A new bill would let Michigan dairies sell it.

[RandySF]

Before American dairies started routinely pasteurizing milk, around 1938, about a quarter of foodborne illness outbreaks in the U.S. were linked to the consumption of milk and milk products.

Now, nearly all milk is pasteurized, which kills the bacteria in it. Only about 1% of foodborne illness outbreaks are now linked to milk consumption — and of that 1%, it's raw milk that's almost always the culprit.

Currently, Michigan is among 19 states that do not allow the sale of raw milk. Republican state Representative Matt Maddock has introduced a bill to allow dairies to sell unpasteurized milk directly to customers.

"When you legalize raw milk sales, you increase the number of people within the state who will get sick," said Dr. Pamela Ruegg, an epidemiologist and veterinarian at Michigan State University. "And some of those people will get very sick, and they're typically children, immunosuppressed people, and elderly."



https://www.michiganpublic.org/health/2025-11-21/raw-milk-is-risky-especially-for-kids-a-new-bill-would-let-michigan-dairies-sell-it