Raw milk trend fuels outbreaks as illnesses surge across U.S.

More than 80 raw-milk-related illnesses have been reported in the United States this year, even as influencers continue to push unpasteurized milk as a wellness staple. Federal health agencies say the product can carry dangerous germs, and the recent cases have repeatedly involved young children and hospitalizations.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines raw milk as milk that has not been pasteurized, and says pasteurization removes disease-causing germs while preserving the milk’s nutritional benefits. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says raw milk can harbor dangerous microorganisms and that pasteurization was adopted decades ago as a basic public health measure. The agency also says raw milk cannot be made safe through good farm practices alone.

The risks have shown up again and again in 2025 and 2026. In March, the CDC and FDA investigated a multistate E. coli outbreak tied to raw cheddar cheese and raw milk sold by Raw Farm, LLC. More than half of the people sickened in that outbreak were children under 5, underscoring how quickly severe foodborne illness can reach the youngest and most vulnerable patients.

Idaho health officials said nearly 60 people became ill after drinking raw milk since May 19, with at least 45 confirmed campylobacter infections. In Louisiana, health officials reported 11 illnesses and two hospitalizations linked to raw milk consumption on June 23. Those cases followed years of similar warnings from federal investigators.

The FDA says the CDC counted 202 raw-milk-linked outbreaks from 1998 through 2018, causing 2,645 illnesses and 228 hospitalizations. In a separate CDC review, 143 enteric disease outbreaks suspected or confirmed to be associated with raw milk were reported during 2009 through 2021. One of the largest recent outbreaks was a California raw milk outbreak from October 2023 through March 2024 that produced 171 cases across California and four other states, with 70 percent of patients under age 18.

Public health experts say the pattern is especially troubling because serious complications can follow, including hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS, a life-threatening condition that can develop after certain E. coli infections. The repeated outbreaks come as the Associated Press reported more than three dozen bills supporting raw milk had been introduced in state legislatures across the country, and more states have moved to legalize sales even as the illness data continue to climb.