What is unpasteurized ("raw") milk?

Unpasteurized milk—sometimes called "raw" milk—is milk that has not been treated to remove harmful germs through pasteurization. When milk is pasteurized, it is heated to a temperature at which harmful germs are killed.

• 

  On and around the animals' udders
  (the part of a cow, goat, or other animal that produces milk)
  

• In the environment (including in soil, water, or animal poop/manure)
  

• On the equipment used to milk an animal 
  

When someone drinks raw milk, they also are drinking any germs that may be in the raw milk. These germs can make a person sick. These disease-causing germs can also be found in milk products such as cheese and creams that are made from raw milk. Eating or drinking unpasteurized milk products can also make people sick.

What are the health risks of eating or drinking something made with raw milk?

Raw milk and dairy products made from raw milk can contain harmful bacteria such as:

• Campylobacter
• Salmonella
• Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7
• Listeria monocytogenes  

Although not as common, raw milk can also contain germs such as Brucella, Cryptosporidium, Mycobacterium bovis, and Yersinia. Many of these germs naturally live in the intestines of farm animals. 

Germs from raw milk can make people sick. The bacteria most commonly found in raw milk can cause symptoms such as:

• Diarrhea
  
• Stomach cramps
  
• Vomiting
• Fever

Other conditions such as muscle weakness and paralysis (from Campylobacter), sudden kidney failure and anemia (from E. coli O157:H7), or miscarriage in pregnant women (from Listeria monocytogenes) can also occur.

Isn't raw milk supposed to be healthy?

There is no difference in the nutritional value between raw milk and pasteurized milk. Raw (unpasteurized) milk is not the same as organic milk or milk that comes from grass-fed animals, and it does not mean it is better for you than pasteurized milk. Raw milk can still contain harmful bacteria even if it is organic, from grass-fed animals, or from very clean farms.

Raw milk also cannot give you "good bacteria" (also called probiotics). Probiotics can be found in pasteurized dairy products such as yogurt or kefir, which are safer to eat than raw milk.

For more questions and answers about raw milk, please see the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Raw Milk Questions and Answers webpage.

Are raw milk and raw milk products available in California?

Raw milk from cows, sheep, and goats may be legally sold in California if a dairy farm meets specific requirements for sanitation and licensing. Animals at the facilities and farms that are approved to sell raw milk in California must be tested for specific diseases, including brucellosis and tuberculosis. Farm workers at these facilities must also be free from infectious germs and pathogens that can contaminate milk and make people sick.

There is no guarantee that these measures will produce raw milk dairy products that are free from harmful germs or are as safe to eat or drink as pasteurized milk products. That is why farms that produce and sell raw milk must include a warning label on all raw milk dairy products which tells people that the product they are purchasing may contain bacteria and germs that can make them sick.  In fact, although these precautions and legal requirements are in place, contamination of raw milk still occurs, and there have been recent recalls of raw milk products and disease outbreaks in California.

For more information about foodborne outbreaks and product contamination in California, including outbreaks related to raw milk, please see the CDPH Food and Drug Branch Environmental Investigation Reports webpage.

Raw Milk from Outside of California

Cheese and other dairy products made from unpasteurized milk are available in other countries, including Mexico, and can be transported to California. Many of these products are sold by vendors who don't have a license to sell dairy products, or are selling products that aren't regulated for health and safety. The information available on the labels of dairy products from other countries may be limited and may not say if the milk was pasteurized or where the product was made. Products sold at open markets, roadside stands, or street vendors may not have any label at all. Unpasteurized dairy products from Mexico have been associated with many illnesses and outbreaks of disease in California in people who either consume the products while visiting Mexico or transport them back to California. The best way to protect yourself from getting sick is to eat only dairy products that are clearly labeled as "pasteurized".