Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller says we should drink raw milk—or at least have it available in the dairy aisles of our grocery stores.
"Raw milk isn't for everyone, but that doesn't mean it shouldn't be available," Miller wrote in a Nov. 19 editorial. "The federal government should educate and inform about potential risks but leave it to the people to decide what is best for them and their families."
Raw milk is a form of dairy product that hasn't been pasteurized—the bacteria-killing process in which milk is heated to a specific temperature for a set amount of time. Texans can buy raw milk at dairy farms, farmer's markets, and online. According to a 2022 Food and Drug Administration report, about 1 percent of Americans, around 3.3 million people, reported consuming it weekly.
"The one place you won't find raw milk is at the grocery store dairy aisle," Miller continued.
There may be a reason for that. The Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Public Health Association, National Environmental Health Association and National Public Health Information Coalition all advise against drinking raw milk.
Before milk standards were adopted in 1924, about 25 percent of foodborne illnesses in the U.S. were related to dairy consumption, according to the Center for Dairy Research. Now, dairy products account for about 1 percent of such illnesses, the report said.
Miller did acknowledge that raw milk may carry bacteria like E. Coli, salmonella and listeria, which can cause severe illness or even death.
"These aren't just names, they're killers," Miller wrote.
Miller described his childhood in Stephenville, TX, the dairy capital of the state.
"My brother milked the family cow in the morning, and I took care of it in the evening. Afterward, we’d strain out the flies and manure with a cup towel and drink it fresh. That was just life on the farm."
He mentioned the benefits of raw milk, which he noted "has seen a resurgence in popularity among those seeking pure sources of nutrition." Despite recent increases in bird flu in dairy cows, raw milk has become a rallying cry for some American conservatives.
Robert F. Kennedy, President-elect Trump's choice to head up the Department of Health and Human Services, says he only drinks raw milk, and said the FDA's "suppression" of it will end.
"There’s nothing more American than the freedom to choose what kind of food you eat," Miller wrote in his op-ed.