Raw milk is risky, says former CFIA head

“It is not safe to consume raw milk and its product,” says Ron Doering, former head of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

“The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced studies that show again that pathogens from raw milk including tuberculosis, diphtheria, typhoid, Salmonella, Listeria, and many other bacterial infections make it unsafe for human consumption,” he writes in his Food in Canada column.

He says a recently-released study in Belgium not only found that raw milk “poses a realistic health threat,” but also offers “no substantial change in the nutritional value” or any other benefits over pasteurized milk.

Yet, Doering writes, “the unfortunate proof keeps coming, with hundreds of outbreaks, many deaths and thousands of illnesses just in the last few years due to raw milk and raw milk cheese.

“Canada continues to allow the sale of raw milk cheeses aged over 60 days, but provides this clear warning: ‘Health Canada’s ongoing advice to pregnant women, children, older adults and people with a weakened immune system is to avoid eating cheese made from raw milk as it does present a higher risk of foodborne illness than pasteurized milk cheeses. If consumers are unsure whether a cheese is made from pasteurized milk, they should check the label or ask the retailer.’.”


Except, Doering writes, there is no legislation or regulation requiring them to apply that information to labels.


Eat at your considerable risk!