The American media are buzzing with the news of President-elect Donald Trump’s nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Seemingly every article mentions his controversial views on topics ranging from vaccines to fluoride in water to raw milk – a longtime libertarian. famous cause. While it’s hard to imagine a more unlikely catalyst, RFK Jr.’s nomination could be the last-ditch effort that gets raw milk across the legalization finish line.

Until late 1800sraw milk was known simply as “milk” and was the only game in town for Americans wanting a delicious milk drink. But when it was discovered that heating products like milk could reduce the presence of potentially harmful bacteria, the pasteurization craze was underway. Considering the reports of thousands of babies dying from bacteria-riddled milk at that time, pasteurization was considered a remarkable advance in public health.

This sparked a 20th-century wave of state and local government mandates requiring milk to be pasteurized. Finally, in 1987, a federal court cemented a federal agreement to forbid on all interstate sales of raw milk. But soon after, the modern organic food movement was born and raw milk became a favorite of the political left. Today, raw milk is increasingly adopted as a sort of culture war symbol by the political right.

“Long a fringe health food for new-age hippies and fad-seeking liberal foodies, raw milk has captured the hearts and minds of GOP lawmakers and regulators in recent years,” writing Marc Novicoff In Policy. In addition to its inherent appeal for deregulation, Novicoff says that “conservatives discovered that raw milk fit neatly into a worldview increasingly skeptical of recognized expertise.”

Over the past decade, many states have passed laws to legalize raw milk, leading food policy expert Baylen Linnekin to state: to announce that the “restoration of raw milk is underway”. Could it be about to shift into high gear, or even spread until the federal ban on interstate sales is overturned?

Regardless of one’s opinion of RFK’s potential ability – or lack thereof – to navigate the federal bureaucracy to pursue his agenda, he may not be the only member of the Trump’s cabinet to be a raw milk enthusiast. Rep. Thomas Massie (R–Ky.), who make an invoice to Congress over the past decade to overturn the federal ban, is lots of rumors to be the next Secretary of Agriculture.

To further contribute to this momentum, there is at least some evidence that the political left may also embrace raw milk again. Although most states that have passed raw milk reforms recently are red, states like Colorado have seen Democratic lawmakers introduce raw milk invoices last year (with Gov. Jared Polis’ support of the effort). Plus, the deep blue of Delaware has just become the last state to legalize raw milk. According to the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund, a majority of states have now legalized raw milk in one form or another and only a handful still ban it outright.

At the federal level, in addition to appealing to Republican lawmakers and administration officials for the ideological virtues of raw milk, senators like Cory Booker (D-N.J.) have strongly opposed corporate agriculture. positions during their term in office, which would make it at least conceivable that they could join with their Republican colleagues in overturning the federal ban.

However, the decline remains significant. Numerous studies and health experts warn of the dangers of raw milk compared to pasteurized milk. Data from the Centers for Disease Control find that between 1998 and 2018, there were 202 outbreaks of foodborne illnesses due to raw milk, which resulted in 2,645 illnesses, 228 hospitalizations and three deaths.

Although few people seriously dispute that pasteurized milk reduces the risk of contracting foodborne illness, it raises an interesting question: How should raw milk compare in terms of safety? Should it be compared to pasteurized milk, or is it more accurate to compare it to other raw (or even non-raw) foods?

For example, raw oysters, a delicacy enjoyed by many Americans that is not legally prohibited, are a killer everywhere. 100 people per yearcompared to the 3 deaths linked to raw milk noted by the CDC over two decades. A 2024 salmonella epidemic related to backyard poultry— another legal activity in most jurisdictions — resulted in 125 hospitalizations and one death in less than a year. In the 12 year period From 1998 to 2010, the CDC recorded 1,345 illnesses, 104 hospitalizations and 19 deaths from cold cuts, while even the humble fruit salad cause 1,323 illnesses, 29 hospitalizations and 1 death over this period.

In other words, raw milk doesn’t appear to be particularly dangerous compared to other foods that are completely legal and freely available, but it’s still banned in a handful of states and subject to a federal ban. Unlikely as it may seem, RFK’s nomination – along with a potential follow-up nomination from Rep. Massie – could be what finally breaks the legal barrier to raw milk.