Health library

June 25, 2026—Raw milk is trending amid a host of claims about its health benefits. Some people claim it's more nutritious and natural than pasteurized milk, healthier for your gut, and better tolerated by lactose-intolerant people. Others believe that raw milk can reduce allergies and asthma.

Truth is, drinking raw, or unpasteurized, milk isn't safe for anyone. And raw milk is a public health concern in the U.S. Here's why.

Raw milk's many dangers

It carries harmful germs. Bacteria, such as salmonella, E. coli, listeria and campylobacter, can be present in raw milk, warns the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). These bacteria are not the good-for-your-gut kind. They can make you seriously ill. Symptoms of these foodborne illnesses include:

• Vomiting.
• Diarrhea.
• Abdominal pain.
• Headache.
• Body aches.
• Fever.

Moreover, people who get sick from these germs may develop serious, chronic health problems, reports FDA.

Anyone can get a foodborne illness. But some folks—pregnant people and their unborn babies, children under age 5, adults 65 and over, and people with compromised immune systems—are at higher risk for serious illness, say the American Academy of Pediatrics, the March of Dimes and other experts.

It may spread avian flu. In 2024, scientists made a new discovery. According to the American Society for Microbiology, a dangerous strain of bird flu, H5N1, was found in Texas dairy cattle. Since then, H5N1 has been detected in dairy cows—and their raw milk—across 17 states. Scientists don't yet know if humans can contract the H5N1 virus by drinking raw milk, but they do know that pasteurization kills it.

Raw milk can make your pets sick too. Veterinarians advise against feeding your pets raw protein diets, including raw milk. According to the American Animal Hospital Association, raw milk can increase your furry friends' risk for serious bacterial infection. Dogs and cats can carry and release, or "shed," salmonella bacteria into the environment without appearing sick. That in turn increases your risk.

Pasteurization: Tried and true

Louis Pasteur developed pasteurization in 1864. It's a straightforward process of heating milk to a certain temperature (usually 161 degrees Fahrenheit in the U.S.), holding it at that temperature for a short time and then rapidly cooling it.

Pasteurization kills disease-causing bacteria in milk and slows down spoilage. Before this process, raw milk sickened untold numbers of people. Now, pasteurization is seen as one of the world's most significant public health success stories.

Raw milk isn't the only food that can make you ill. Find more tips on avoiding foodborne illness.

Sources

• Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. "Is Raw Milk Healthy?" https://www.eatright.org/food/food-groups/dairy-and-alternatives/is-raw-milk-healthy.
• American Academy of Pediatrics. "Raw Milk: What Parents Need to Know About the Risk." https://www.healthychildren.org/English/healthy-living/nutrition/Pages/Raw-Milk-Dangers-What-Parents-Need-to-Know.aspx.
• American Animal Hospital Association. "Raw Protein Diet." https://www.aaha.org/resources/2021-aaha-nutrition-and-weight-management-guidelines/raw-protein-diet/.
• American Society for Microbiology. "Raw Milk Microbiology: Unfiltered and Unfriendly." https://asm.org/articles/2025/may/raw-milk-microbiology-unfiltered-and-unfriendly.
• March of Dimes. "Food Poisoning During Pregnancy." https://www.marchofdimes.org/find-support/topics/pregnancy/food-poisoning-during-pregnancy.
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration. "The Dangers of Raw Milk: Unpasteurized Milk Can Pose a Serious Health Risk." https://www.fda.gov/food/buy-store-serve-safe-food/dangers-raw-milk-unpasteurized-milk-can-pose-serious-health-risk.