What's Up With the Resurgence in Raw Milk?

Unpasteurized milk has gained renewed popularity, especially among conservatives, and some are hoping Department of Health and Human Services nominee Robert Kennedy Jr. will legalize it. While advocates say it offers health benefits with little risk, the Food and Drug Administration warns against it, citing the risk of pathogens that can cause serious illness and lack of evidence for health benefits. 

For Context: Recently, the bird flu virus was detected in a batch of raw milk in Fresno, California, leading to recalls. There is a federal ban on interstate raw milk sales. Several states in the last decade have legalized raw milk, and a few ban it outright. While the states that have legalized it skew red, Democratic lawmakers in Colorado introduced a bill to legalize raw milk, and the latest state to legalize it was deep-blue Delaware. 

How the Media Covered It: A writer for libertarian magazine Reason (Center bias) said, "While few would seriously dispute that pasteurized milk reduces the chance of acquiring a food-borne illness, it raises an interesting question: What should the comparison point be for raw milk in terms of safety?" arguing that raw oysters cause more illness and are not illegal. A writer for Just the News (Lean Right) gave more space to the pro-raw milk perspective while a writer for The Independent (Lean Left) gave more space to the perspective of government health organizations. 

Common Ground: Across the spectrum, writers noted the lack of trust in public health officials. Emily Oster (Center) argued public health agencies "need to put more trust in their audience," and "It may mean acknowledging that reasonable people may make different choices on a given issue."