As some farmers push for more freedom to sell raw milk, an advocacy group reports that nearly 2,000 customers bought more than 53,000 gallons of the unpasteurized product in a recent 12-month period.
For those of you interested in following the raw milk debate, head over to the website of Rural Vermont, which released its annual raw milk report Wednesday morning. Because Vermont doesn’t require farmers selling raw milk to register with the state, the Rural Vermont report is the best snapshot we have of what raw milk sales look like on the ground.
To recap, raw milk is unpasteurized. In Vermont, it’s sold directly by farmers to consumers, and in almost all cases consumers have to travel to the farm to purchase this milk. Vermont passed regulations in 2009 covering the sale of raw milk, setting out guidelines for farmers intended to protect public health. People who love raw milk really love raw milk — but conversely, public health officials stand firm in their conviction that consuming unpasteurized milk (which hasn’t been treated to kill off pathogens and bacteria) could make people sick.
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tried cheese made w/ raw milk–it was nasty.