Raw Milk: Buy It in Arizona, But Buyer Beware

By Sarah Ventre Wed., Jul. 21 2010 at 7:44 AM

Though raw milk is legal in Arizona, when sold, it must be affixed with a warning label such as this one.

While it may sound foreign to some, the sale and consumption of raw, unpasteurized milk is going on right under your nose.

Well, maybe not that close -- but definitely in our fair city.

Call this The Guide to Most Everything You Wanted to Know About Raw Milk But Didn't Begin to Know to Ask.

We'll tell you everything from where to buy the stuff to why you might want to drink it -- to why you might not want to drink it.

You may have heard the latest story NPR did on the subject this week. Big debate. And even though it's perfectly legal to sell and consume the stuff in Arizona, the controversy over its safety still impacts not only consumers, but independent farmers, large scale dairy manufacturers, and even politicians.

(learn more -- including the Ick Factor -- after the jump)

According to realmilk.com, a website dedicated entirely to informing the public about raw milk, its benefits, and where to procure it, raw milk is different from other milk in several ways.

Firstly, the cows are pasture-fed. Next, the milk is unprocessed and not homogenized. Typically before milk is processed, several batches of milk from different herds, and potentially different dairies, are mixed together in order to provide some sort of homogenized consistency among the batch. With raw milk, this is not done.

Raw milk also contains large amounts of butterfat. For whole milk to pass through government standards, it only needs to have 3.25% fat. While our society is quite obsessed with counting calories and staying lean and trim, proponents of raw milk argue that with the added fat and calories come important vitamins like A and D that are essential to the body. Taking out the fat therefore also takes out the nutrition.

But that's not the most controversial element.

Raw milk is not pasteurized.

The pasteurization process heats the milk in order to kill micro-organisms like yeast, mold, and bacteria. The problem with that, according to some experts, is that certain bacteria are important to your health. They can help you build your immunity, and they provide your body with probiotics which actually keep you healthy.

It sounds like it should just be a matter of preference, but here's the problem: The sale and consumption of raw milk is not legal in all states. And the people who are firm believers in it have been known to break the law, and smuggle milk from other states into their own, both for their own consumption and for the consumption of others in their communities.

Tags:

controversial legislation, homogenization, local farms, pasteurization, raw milk, Save Your Dairy

We Recommend

anon

New Frontiers up in Prescott, AZ has raw milk. I think it's about $15 a gallon, but good stuff.

I don't know if any of their other AZ locations (Sedona and Flagstaff) carry it, but if you're close to Prescott be sure to check it out.

goforyourown

We drink our milk RAW. Its delicious!. I currently have 2 milk goats and we are antibiotic free. I KNOW what is in my milk. The cheese is awesome. Just made Ricotta. Keep the government out of your life.

Stacie Booth

My oldest son and I were lactose intolerant. My youngest son was allergic to dairy since an infant. However, we have been drinking raw milk for several months now with no issues. Of course, the dairy must have high sanitary standards, and I have seen what one raw milk dairy does to maintain cleanliness, and I was impressed. As for the fat content, it is what is called a healthy fat that the body actually needs. Americans have cut out healthy fats to make room for unhealthy fats, such as fast food, and guess what? Americans are the fatest people in the world. Maybe getting back to healthy fats and cutting out the processed and fast foods might not be such a bad idea...

Racerx

No scientific research confirms the benefits of pasteurized (ruined milk). What we do know is that it can sit on the shelf longer and therefore confer greater profits for the diary corporations.

Racerx

Fear mongering A hole. How much are the Diary corporations paying you to spread your lies here?

Trobyn_58

Gosh JB, what do you care if they appear run down according to other dairies? Crawl back into your little cubicle and rethink what your REAL problem with life is. Just because someone does something and believes something different than you does not make it wrong. The last I checked this was still a free country....until people like you ruin it for the rest of us.

Trobyn_58

People have been drinking raw milk for centuries. I grew up on raw milk, I kept two milk cows throughout my three children's growing up years to be sure they had raw milk as opposed to processed milk and now I have the luxury of buying it from a neighbor. The enzymes in raw milk are vital for good health. If you choose not to drink it, then fine, go buy the store milk...but please don't advocate to tell me and my family what is best for us based on your limited knowledge.

Unraed

The dairy industry has convinced everyone, including the government, that sterilized milk is best because it's "safe"It is in their best interest for people to not try or enjoy the benefits of raw milk.They have a lot of money, they make a lot of money, and they intend to keep it that way.

Perfect_Paradigm_777

Like many others, I have experienced a huge difference between raw and pasteurized milk. I had to quit drinking pasteurized milk because even a half-pint of it would make me feel so tired and sleepy and make me bloated, give me gas and a headache. I was afraid to try raw milk thinking it would make me feel like crap too, but it didn't cause any symptoms and I feel better drinking raw milk than consuming any other foods.

I've drank as much as 2 gallons of raw milk in one day(half gallon at a time) and felt great compared to drinking 1/2 pint of pasteurized milk and feeling like crap with the symptoms mentioned above. So there's definitely a huge difference between the two.

My digestion was terrible when I first started drinking raw milk so maybe the reason I felt so good on it vs pasteurized milk is because raw milk is much easier to digest (I'm guessing).

And unlike pasteurized milk making me super constipated, raw milk allows me to have bowel movements better than anything.

Any other cooked foods didn't bother me but cooked milk for some reason would really mess me up.

Jackie

Hi Foodie Bear!

If you haven't found it closer to home by now, please contact me through the website SaveYourDairy.com

Jackie, Dairy Owner

Flashnsaber

Most negative comments about REAL food usually come from someone who feels threatened by people consuming REAL food. I don't believe people become ill from real food, but those producing it can certainly be 'set up' by the people who run the powerful, govt. subsidized farms. Clean? it may look that way, but DEAD is more like it. I'll take my food alive like God intended, thank you.

allegracrystal

@Flashnsaber and also by people who eat deep fried chimichangas, drink alcoholic beverages on a regular basis, & expect the doctor to prescribe psychotropic drugs for their children when they become difficult to deal with