Drinking raw milk — even from a certified dairy — puts you at risk for intestinal foodborne diseases, among them E. coli, Salmonella and Listeria. Not only that, diverting contaminated milk to raw cheese production is not necessarily safe.

That’s the warning from a team of public health scientists from California and local, state, and and federal partners who investigated a multi-jurisdictional outbreak of Salmonella Typhimurium associated with raw (unpasteurized) milk.

Carried out from Oct. 18, 2023, through May 4, 2024, the investigation, which was in relation to 171 cases with the outbreak, swung a spotlight onto the likely source of the outbreak: Raw Farm’s raw milk. Originally Organic Pastures, Raw Farm is based in Fresno, CA.

The report was put out by the Center for Infectious Diseases – Division of Communicable Disease Control Infectious Diseases Branch – Disease Investigations Section 

According to the report, as of May 4, 2024, 171 cases — 159 confirmed and 12 probable — were identified from five states: California with 167, New Mexico with 1, Pennsylvania with 1, Texas with 1, and Washington with 1. The California cases were from 35 local health jurisdictions throughout the state.

Twenty states explicitly prohibit raw milk sales within the state where it is produced in some form and 30 allow it in various scenarios, including on-farm sales only. Federal law prohibits the sale of unpasteurized milk across state lines, but individual state laws govern the sale of unpasteurized milk within the state.

But as public-health officials point out, even milk from a certified dairy can pose some health risks. 

In the study, 40 samples were collected at the Raw Farm dairy, retail stores, and patients’ homes. 

A voluntary recall of all Raw Farm’s raw milk and cream was issued on Oct. 24, 2023. Mitigation efforts carried out by the producer met requirements to restart production on Oct. 31.

According to the recent report, the majority — 65 percent — of cases occurred in October. Specimen collection dates ranged from Sept. 23, 2023, through March 12, 2024. 

The median age of patients was 7 years, and nearly 40 percent of the patients were younger than 5 years old. Sixty-four percent were male. Twenty-two , or 14 percent, of 162 patients with available information required hospitalization; no deaths were reported. 

Of the patients with information available, 93 percent reported consuming Raw Farm LLC unpasteurized milk.

And while some people assume that food poisoning isn’t all that serious, a look at some case histories in recent lawsuits filed against Raw Farm reveal that some patients can suffer severe intestinal problems, intense pain for a considerable length of time, and even kidney failure. 

Fear is a big part of this as well since many doctors don’t know enough to test for a foodborne bacteria such as Salmonella or E. coli. As a result, patients often have to go through tests for other health problems and have to stay in the hospital while they’re treated for health problems they don’t even have.

According to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control, 48 million people get sick from a foodborne illness, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die every year.

Symptoms of Salmonella

Typical symptoms of Salmonella infection appear 6 to 72 hours after eating contaminated food, last for 3 to 7 days without treatment, and usually consist of a combination of the following: 

Diarrhea 

Abdominal Cramps

Fever of 100 degrees F to 102°F 

Bloody Diarrhea

Vomiting

Headache

Body Aches

Complications of Salmonella poisoning are more likely to occur among young children and people aged 65 or older. Also vulnerable are pregnant women and people whose immune defenses are low.

What about bird flu?

Bird flu, also known as H5N1 avian flu, is widespread in wild birds worldwide and is causing outbreaks in poultry and U.S. dairy cows. More than 50 recent human cases have been reported in U.S. dairy and poultry workers.

Earlier this week, USDA ordered all raw milk to be tested for avian flu. And though there have been no cases linked to raw milk, the FDA said there could be a risk.

The FDA’s ongoing assessments of the milk-safety system continue to confirm that pasteurization is effective at eliminating infectious H5N1 virus in dairy milk.

Since H5N1 avian flu was first detected in U.S. dairy cattle earlier this year, health officials have emphasized the risk of drinking raw milk, which can harbor H5N1 and several other pathogens. Milk from infected cows contains extremely high levels of the H5N1 virus.

Multiple batches of Raw Farm’s raw milk have tested positive for the avian flu virus. As such, the dairy was ordered to recall some batches of its raw milk earlier this month.

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