More and more consumers are forgoing standard milk in favor of "raw" milk, milk that's unpasteurized and unhomogenized, essentially straight from the udder of the cow.
Some seek out raw milk for its reportedly creamier, richer taste, but more choose it because they believe it's more healthful, a "living" food that can help fend off many illnesses, as varied as allergies and cancer. "Raw milk consumers are dedicated to building their immune systems," says Mark McAfee, founder of Organic Pastures, a raw dairy in Fresno.
The claims sound innocent enough, but the sale of raw milk is illegal in nearly two dozen states, and federal regulations prohibit producers in states where raw milk is legal, including California, from shipping it over state lines. The Food and Drug Administration cautions consumers against raw milk consumption and last year began cracking down on dairies, including McAfee's, for illegal distribution across state lines. (Organic Pastures pleaded guilty to the charge but continues to sell raw milk products -- legally -- throughout California.)
Claims about raw milk's health benefits are scientifically tenuous. Raw milk and pasteurized milk are equivalent in terms of protein, nutrient, fat and carbohydrate makeup, says Rusty Bishop, director of the Wisconsin Center for Dairy Research at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. After raw milk has been pasteurized, he says, "there's no difference in composition, other than that you've killed off a significant number of bacteria that were in the milk."
--
Under the microscope
Bacteria, however, are at the crux of the controversy over raw milk.
Proponents argue that the milk naturally contains an array of beneficial bacteria and enzymes that give the immune system a workout and aid with digestion -- and that are destroyed by pasteurization. Meanwhile, dairy scientists such as Bishop argue that such beneficial bacteria (such as acidophilus and bifidobacterium) occur only in small amounts in raw milk, and that any enzymes the milk contains have no proven benefit for humans.
Federal officials maintain that pasteurization is crucial because the risk of contamination with harmful bacteria outweighs any potential benefits from beneficial, or probiotic, bacteria found in unprocessed milk.
