President-elect Trump’s nominee to head up the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has made headlines for his support of raw milk.
But, a UD health expert says consumers should avoid raw milk due to its health risks.
Kennedy, along with a small but vocal online community, is a proponent of raw milk - milk not processed in any way. That includes the pasteurization process, which heats milk to 161 degrees for about 15 seconds.
“Any pathogenic bacteria in the milk will be killed, but it isn't enough heat to degrade enzymes or things, or the nutritional quality of the milk is all still retained,” said Kali Kneil, a professor of microbial food safety at the University of Delaware.
That process is important, Kniel says, because raw milk can contain a lot of pathogens, including Salmonella, E. coli, Staphylococcus, and Listeria.
“Listeriosis can cause deaths in about 15 to 20% of people who are infected, and we also see really high hospitalization rates," she said.
And, this year, there’s a new viral hazard in the mix. Kniel says traces of avian influenza have shown up in some raw milk samples.
Kniel says there are no peer-reviewed studies showing that any perceived benefits of raw milk outweigh its well-documented risks.
