Peer Response to Jessica Snzaider's Blog: Raw Milk

Jessica’s take on raw milk is very interesting and makes me want to give raw milk a try! Her description of the taste of raw milk, “creamier, fresher and plain better than the heated, processed version,” sounds very appealing. However, I’m a bit skeptical about the safety of consuming raw milk since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention claimed that more than 800 people in the United States have gotten sick from drinking raw milk or eating cheese made from raw milk since 1998. Unpasteurized milk, stated by fda.gov, can carry dangerous bacteria such as Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria, which are responsible for causing numerous foodborne illnesses and this frightens me from having my younger siblings, especially, consume raw milk since their immune systems may be less resistant to fighting these bacteria.

The debate on raw vs. pasteurized milk remains most controversial since it’s a health vs. health debate. Honestly, I’m not sure how I feel about raw milk because both views seem to have their legitimacies. Some research claim, for instance, that “pasteurization is a process that kills harmful bacteria by heating milk to a specific temperature for a set period of time,” while others state that, “pasteurization also destroys not only the bad, but beneficial bacteria, such as natural enzymes and chemicals make-up of calcium in raw milk.” So, as a consumer, I’m highly conflicted because while raw milk may offer higher health benefits, it can also pose a serious health risk.