The bird flu epidemic in dairy cows has reignited interest in the century-old debate about the safety of raw or unpasteurized milk.
Sales of raw milk, or milk that has not undergone the heat treatment process to kill harmful bacteria, have spiked in recent weeks since theof raw cow’s milk have increased by 21% since March 25 and 65% from the same period last year.was invented by French scientist Louis Pasteur in the 1860s and involves heating liquids, including milk, to eliminate dangerous bacteria, such as E. coli, camplyobacter, and salmonella.
As of May 10, the FDA is still testing raw milk samples to quantify exactly how much of the virus infected cows are shedding into their unprocessed milk. In spite of these tests, however, the FDA and thethat the risk of human transmission through milk is low even if live virus is found in raw milk. That is because avian flu viruses usually are spread through close contact and respiratory droplets, not food.
McAffee said that pasteurization disincentivizes industrial farmers from preventing bacteria and viruses from entering the raw milk supply in the first place because they know they will be killed in the heating process. For him, it’s a simple question of economics. “I think every farmer should want to treat their animals as humanely as possible and keep the barns as clean as possible,” Kaylegian said. “Keeping your animals healthy will give you the cleanest milk, the best quality milk.”Berge and other colleagues in Europe have conducted several studies for academic journals finding significant benefits to raw milk consumption, such as decreasingWhen asked why European scientists and regulatory agencies are more open to the debate on raw milk than the U.S.
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