Dive Brief:
- The Real Food Consumer Coalition asked the Food and Drug Administration to allow raw milk to cross state lines as long as it’s labeled with a warning about its health risks, according to Food Safety News.
- The group also wants the products to be labeled with instructions for safe handling, including how to do home pasteurization.
- The group believes that the intrastate supply of unpasteurized milk and raw milk products is insufficient to meet current demand.
Dive Insight:
The problem with this appeal is that similar requests to the government about raw milk and raw dairy products have fallen on deaf ears before. It’s unlikely that any real change will come about.
The federal government has outlawed interstate transport and sale of raw milk for three decades, and has a fairly unambiguous policy stance on its hazards. While state policies differ, many ban retail sales of raw milk, but most do have a legal way for people to access it.
The worry about raw milk is not unfounded. A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that 96% of all foodborne illness from dairy products comes from raw milk and cheese. Yet people still desire the product.
Currently, the demand for raw milk is outpacing supply by a great deal, according to recent studies. Raw milk aficionados say the products taste better, produce fewer allergic reactions and can cure illnesses — claims that are all anecdotal and unproven.
Still, with President Trump looking for ways to help American businesses, reducing or eliminating regulations that are holding back economic growth could gain some traction.