Unpasteurized milk has backers, detractors

SEATTLE, June 23 (UPI) -- Unpasteurized milk appears to have public support other raw food items lack, at least in Washington and 23 other states, a dairy industry official says.

In 26 states, unpasteurized milk can't be sold legally. But in the rest of the country some parents and natural food advocates have won at least limited rights to choice in their dairy. Public health officials point out risks of E. coli, campylobacter, brucella, listeria, salmonella. But raw milk advocates argue there are taste and nutritional benefits to not cooking milk to 160 degrees, The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reported Monday.

"The entire issue of raw milk is a mixture of controversy, passion and emotion. Some believe that pasteurized milk is a government conspiracy, like fluoride in (drinking) water," said Jay Gordon, executive director of the Washington State Dairy Association.

In Washington, 22 dairies are licensed to sell unpasteurized milk, leading some to wonder how government health officials can decry the dangers of raw milk and yet also license the sale of the product.

"In part, it's because of the almost evangelical way people talk about raw milk and that America is founded on consumer choice," said Doug Powell, associate professor of food safety at Kansas State University.