Understanding the Controversy: Is Raw Milk Safe?

All consumers and producers should educate themselves about the health risks and benefits of raw milk. Raw milk consumers should know how to identify dairy farms that follow safe production guidelines and should seek out raw milk from pasture-fed cows at dairies that are licensed and inspected regularly. Use these resources to educate yourself and your community about raw milk.

• Raw Milk: Legal History and Current Controversy, Summary of Board of Health Authority, 2014 NOFA Conference Paper (Arthur Kreiger)
• Is MA raw milk safe?
• Guidelines for Choosing a Raw Milk Dairy

Get Involved: Support the Production and Distribution of Raw Milk in Massachusetts

• Raw Milk Talking Points for Advocates
• Follow the Massachusetts Raw Milk Network on Facebook
• Contact your legislator to support Bill S419
• Message to legislators about raw milk in MA
• Find Your Legislator

NOFA Publications and Resources

• Raw Milk in Massachusetts brochure
• Local, Fresh and Raw: Unpasteurized Milk in Massachusetts, 2009
• Massachusetts Local Boards of Health, Regulations and Raw Milk, With Introduction on Understanding American Law, 2014 NOFA Conference Paper (Michael Pill)

Organizations and websites with more information

• The Weston A. Price Foundation’s Real Milk website promotes raw milk from a nutritional viewpoint and lists producers in different states, as well as local Weston Price chapter heads who can provide a good source of raw milk information in your area.
• The Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund
• Farm to Consumer Legal Defense Fund Twitter Feed
• The Farm to Consumer Foundation
• Raw Milk Facts
• Raw Milk Truth
• Organic Pastures sells raw milk retail in California and is one of the premier raw milk dairies in the country.
• An anti-raw milk presentation from the FDA and a point-by-point rebuttal from the Weston A. Price Foundation
• The Safety of Raw versus Pasteurized Milk
• Wikipedia page on raw milk
• Email Listserv: RawDairy

Articles

• An article from NOFA’s quarterly journal, The Natural Farmer, on the history of pasteurization and its impact on concentration in the dairy industry, as well as a discussion of raw milk safety and comparative food safety regulations in the U.S. and E.U.
• The Revolution Will Not Be Pasteurized: Inside the raw-milk underground, Harper’s magazine, April, 2008
• Raw Milk Renegade, Mother Earth News, 8/08
• Raw milk commentary in emagazine.com
• Raw Milk Rebellion: How much business does the government have in the barnyard?, Reason magazine, 5/16/08
• An article from Farm Aid about raw milk
• Got Raw Milk?, Boston Globe, 3/23/08
• Got Raw Milk? Be Very Quiet , Time, 3/13/07
• Milk Wars, The Nation, 3/5/08
• Should This Milk Be Legal? , New York Times, 8/8/07
• Raw Milk: Udderly Foolish? , Washington Post, 8/7/07
• The Udder Truth, Salon.com, 1/19/07
• Demand for raw milk growing, despite dangers, MSNBC, 3/10/08
• Raw Milk: Panacea or Poison?, NPR, 6/25/08
• The Raw Milk Debate: Don’t Have a Cow, The Atlantic, April 2010
• The Michigan Fresh Unprocessed Whole Milk Workgroup’s work on the nutritional issues around raw milk is excellent.

Videos

• Raw Milk Ninja, video interview with Mark Mcafee
• The Raw Milk Controversy: Fact & Fiction Chapter 1, Prt. 1
• The Raw Milk Controversy: Fact & Fiction Chapter 1- Prt. 2
• Raw Milk Controversy: Fact & Fiction; Chptr 1, Prt 3
• The Raw Milk Controversy: Fact & Fiction Chapter 2, Prt. 1
• The Whole Truth About Milk: Raw vs. Pasteurized
• Short clips reviewed from the 2010 Raw Milk Symposium in Madison Wisconsin
• The Two Raw Milks in America
• Information about Germ Wars, a documentary being produced for PBS about raw milk.

State Campaigns and Organizations

• Raw Milk Association of Colorado
• Garden State Raw Milk campaign
• Tennessee Raw Milk campaign
• Washington Raw Milk

Dairy and Grazing Resources

• Information About Raw Milk In Massachusetts (for farmers and consumers)
• Organic Information Resources
• Transitioning And Certification
• Technical Assistance
• Grain Suppliers
• Herd Health Resources
• Organic Milk Markets
• Other Helpful Organizations and Books
• Grazing Resources

The NOFA/Mass Raw Milk Network

If you are a consumer or dairy producer wanting to be part of The Raw Milk Network to help make safely-produced raw milk available throughout Massachusetts, contact Marty Dagoberto, Raw Milk Network Coordinator, at marty@nofamass.org.