Raw milk rising

But so are disease outbreaks

By Culinate staff

April 13, 2010

A recent article in the Seattle Times documented the growing popularity of raw milk — the number of licensed raw-milk dairies in Washington state has grown from six to 28 in the past five years — but also the hygiene concerns that go with the unavoidably mucky territory.

Raw milk may have been responsible for outbreaks of E. coli in Washington state last December and campylobacter in the Midwest this spring. Whole Foods recently stopped selling raw milk in four states. And the CDC and the FDA are reviewing raw-milk production and regulation with an eye to stricter oversight.