A new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions and multiple state health departments concludes that the sale and consumption of “raw” or unpasteurized milks represents an “ongoing hazard.”
That conclusion came as no surprise to Rob Ralyea, who is a senior extension associate in Cornell University’s Department of Food Science and an outreach member of the Milk Quality Improvement Program – an initiative that evaluates the overall quality and shelf life of dairy products.
Ralyea, who is available for media interviews, also is part of a team of researchers in Cornell’s Food Science Department who authored a position statement on raw milk that, in part, states:
“We recommend pasteurization of milk intended for consumption by humans. Specifically, we strongly recommend that raw milk not be served to infants, toddlers or pregnant women, or any person suffering from a chronic disease or a suppressed immune system.
“In addition, we strongly recommend that raw milk not be provided to the general public at farms or at retail; raw milk consumption could expose these people to unnecessary and/or extremely costly and painful risks for which a milk producer may be held legally responsible. Pasteurization offers protection – both for the consumer and for the producer – from the consequences of foodborne infection by pathogens that can be found in raw milk.”
NOTE: The complete position statement can be downloaded at milkfacts.info/Current%20Events/Position%20Statement%20%20Raw%20Milk.pdf.
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