TL;DR
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A policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics says raw milk has no proven health advantage over pasteurized milk that outweighs its foodborne-illness risks. The warning emphasizes risks to children and pregnant people, while noting that pasteurization inactivates disease-causing organisms, including H5N1 in milk.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is warning that raw, unpasteurized milk carries foodborne-illness risks without proven health advantages that outweigh them, especially for children and pregnant people. In a policy statement published in the journal Pediatrics, the organization recommends pasteurized milk and dairy products, citing outbreak records and evidence that pasteurization preserves most of milk’s nutritional value.
The AAP’s statement addresses milk consumed without pasteurization, a controlled heating process used to kill disease-causing microorganisms. Raw milk can become contaminated through infected udders, contact with animal feces, or environmental sources. The statement says sanitation and filtration alone do not provide the same protection as pasteurization.
Between 2013 and 2018, raw milk consumption was linked to 75 outbreaks in the United States, resulting in 675 illnesses, 98 hospitalizations and two deaths, according to the report. People younger than 20 accounted for 48% of illnesses; 14% were in children younger than five. The AAP identifies young children, older adults, pregnant people and people with weakened immune systems as groups at greater risk of severe infection.
The statement also discusses highly pathogenic avian influenza, or H5N1. Infectious virus has been found in raw milk from infected cows, and pasteurization inactivates it. The report says no human cases linked to raw-milk consumption had been identified at the time of the policy statement; it does not establish what may have happened after that point.
Risks for Children and Pregnancy
The warning matters because foodborne infections can have more serious consequences for vulnerable groups. In young children, severe diarrheal illness caused by certain strains of E. coli can lead to hemolytic uremic syndrome, a potentially serious complication. During pregnancy, listeriosis occurs about 12 to 14 times more often than in the general population, the report says, and can result in miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery or severe illness in a newborn.
For families choosing milk, the AAP’s comparison is not simply about whether raw milk contains nutrients. Its position is that any proposed advantage has not been shown to outweigh the infection risk. That makes the advice particularly relevant to parents, people who are pregnant, and those buying dairy products made from raw milk from cows, goats or sheep.
The report also points to a gap between the perceived benefits and available evidence. Pasteurization may reduce some heat-sensitive proteins and antioxidant activity, but the statement says it does not meaningfully remove many of milk’s key nutrients. The AAP says the major milk proteins, calcium, magnesium and zinc remain, and lactose content is unchanged.
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What Pasteurization Changes
The United States established pasteurization as a standard practice in the 1920s, following outbreaks associated with unpasteurized milk, including illnesses caused by tuberculosis, typhoid fever, brucellosis and diphtheria. Raw milk remains available under varying state rules: the source report says sales were permitted in 27 states as of 2019, while federal rules prohibit interstate sales of raw milk for human consumption. It also notes an exemption for certain raw-milk cheeses aged at least 60 days.
Claims that raw milk offers superior nutrition or helps with allergies are not supported by the evidence summarized in the AAP statement. The report says studies found no differences in certain milk fats after pasteurization, while a 2011 review found that pasteurization decreased only vitamin B2 among the vitamins assessed. Some bioactive proteins are reduced, but the statement says the purpose of drinking milk is not to obtain those bovine proteins. It also says there is no evidence that raw milk alleviates other atopic conditions; children with a milk allergy should avoid animal milk and dairy products.
Raw-milk consumption is not widespread in the United States, though surveys in 2016 and 2019 found that 4.4% of adults had consumed it in the prior 12 months. The report says those consumers were more likely to be rural residents or adults aged 18 to 35. That figure describes survey respondents’ reported consumption over a year, not the share of milk sold or consumed overall.
“Raw milk offers no proven health advantages over pasteurized milk that outweigh its increased risk of foodborne illness.”
— American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement
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What the Evidence Cannot Yet Show
The source report does not provide the full policy statement, its exact publication date in Pediatrics, or additional details about how the AAP assessed each study. It also does not provide updated outbreak totals beyond the 2013–2018 figures. Those figures should not be read as a current annual rate or as a count of all raw-milk illnesses.
For H5N1, the report says no human infections linked to raw-milk consumption had been identified at the time of the statement. That is a time-specific finding, not confirmation that such cases remain absent. The frequency of illness from some other pathogens detected in raw dairy is also uncertain, according to the report. The policy statement says outbreaks could become more frequent if raw-milk consumption increases, but does not quantify that possibility.
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How the Guidance Applies Now
The AAP supports consuming pasteurized milk and dairy products, with particular emphasis on children, adolescents and young adults, pregnant people and breastfeeding parents. Its recommendation covers products made from milk of cows, goats, sheep and other animals. Readers should check product labels and local rules when buying dairy, since state laws and product exemptions differ.
The source does not announce a new enforcement action, deadline or scheduled follow-up. The immediate development is the publication and circulation of pediatric guidance; further changes in outbreak data, H5N1 monitoring or state regulation are not specified. The AAP’s core advice remains to choose pasteurized products, while public-health authorities continue to monitor foodborne illness and the risks associated with raw dairy.
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Key Questions
Does raw milk have proven health benefits over pasteurized milk?
The AAP policy statement says no proven health advantages outweigh raw milk’s increased foodborne-illness risk. The report says pasteurization preserves most key nutrients, including calcium, magnesium and zinc.
Why is raw milk considered risky?
Milk can be contaminated by infected udders, animal feces or the environment. Pasteurization uses controlled heating to kill disease-causing microorganisms; the report says sanitation or filtration alone cannot provide the same protection.
Who is most at risk from raw milk?
The AAP identifies young children, older adults, pregnant people and people with weakened immune systems as groups at greater risk of severe infection. The policy statement also emphasizes children and breastfeeding parents in its recommendations.
Does pasteurization remove milk’s main nutrients?
The AAP statement says pasteurization does not alter lactose content and preserves major milk proteins and minerals such as calcium, magnesium and zinc. It can reduce some heat-sensitive proteins and antioxidant activity, but the statement says these changes do not establish a health advantage for raw milk.
Has raw milk been linked to human H5N1 infections?
The source report says no human cases linked to raw-milk consumption had been identified at the time of the policy statement. It also says infectious H5N1 has been detected in raw milk from infected cows and that pasteurization inactivates the virus.
Source: rss
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