RAW MILK IN COURT: IMPLICATIONS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH POLICY AND PRACTICE

Although only about 3% of the US population drinks raw--or unpasteurized-milk, in recent years, the raw milk movement has erupted into an impassioned and increasingly public debate between public health authorities and consumers. In 2012, even as a raw milk outbreak in Pennsylvania sickened 80 people in four states and a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study reaffirmed the link between foodborne illness risks and raw milk consumption, several states considered legislation that would legalize raw milk sales within their borders, and two federal court decisions involving the regulation and sale of raw milk--US v. Allyger and Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund v. Sebelius--added fodder to the arguements on both sides. David examines the debate regarding raw milk regulation and sales in the US and the implications of US. v. Allgyer and FTGLDF v. Sebelius for public health practice and policy.