Pasteurization, Avian Flu, And The Realities Of Drinking Raw Milk

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🗓️ 12 December 2024

⏱️ 37 minutes

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Summary

Pasteurization is the process that rids milk of bacteria. But more people are opting for unpasteurized milk, also known as raw milk. In May, sales of raw milk rose more than 20 percent compared to the year before. That's according to Nielson IQ, a market research firm.

But consuming raw milk comes with significant risks.

In late November, California regulators recalled some raw milk products after detecting bird flu virus. And last week, the USDA ordered testing across the nation's milk supply over bird flu concerns — an issue that began back in March.

Although both the CDC and FDA caution against the consumption of raw milk, the product is being pushed by some right-wing conservatives. One of the most prominent proponents of raw milk is Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — President-elect Donald Trump's pick to serve as secretary for the Department of Health and Human Services.

We discuss why people are drinking raw milk despite the risks.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Support for this podcast and the following message come from the NPR Wine Club,
0:04.5	which has generated over $1.75 million to support NPR programming,
0:09.6	whether buying a few bottles or joining the club,
0:12.3	you can learn more at NPRwineclub.org slash podcast.
0:16.0	Must be 21 or older to purchase.
0:26.0	Music or older to purchase. In most grocery stores in the U.S., you can walk down a chilly, refrigerated dairy aisle
0:30.9	and grab a gallon of milk.
0:32.6	There's a good chance that milk will have a label on it that says pasteurized.
0:37.0	Pasturization is a heating process that rids the milk of bacteria, but more people are
0:41.5	opting for unpasteurized milk or raw milk.
0:44.9	I'm a woman over 65 that has, you know, decreasing bone density. I have drunk
0:50.8	raw milk for many years, started when I volunteered on a dairy farm that had raw
0:55.8	milk in glass bottles.
0:58.0	I find it very helpful and delicious.
1:00.3	The taste changes with the seasons because of what the cows eat.
1:03.9	And I feel like it's really good for me, and I'm supporting community farms.
1:08.6	I live in South Carolina where raw milk has been legal to purchase, and over the years,
1:13.1	I have purchased it from the farmer's markets whenever it's available because I am very
1:16.7	intentional about purchasing our food from as local as possible with farms and dairies in my area.
1:23.7	And these days, I'm seeing people who consume raw milk being labeled as ignorant, science, denying, anti-vaxxer-type people.
1:31.2	And that's just simply not true.
1:33.1	And it pains me that now it seems that it's become politicized for no good reason.
	...

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