Raw Milk Movement

The raw milk movement has surged despite the CDC's finding that unpasteurized milk is 150 times more likely to cause foodborne illness than pasteurized milk. Advocates claim pasteurization destroys beneficial enzymes and bacteria, fueling a 25% increase in raw milk sales between 2020 and 2024 in states where it is legal. However, public health authorities link it to outbreaks of E. coli, Salmonella, and Listeria—with 80% of dairy-related hospitalizations traceable to raw products. Faster than the average food trend in political weaponization, this debate has been co-opted by conservative and libertarian circles as a symbol of food freedom against government overreach, outpacing #3 in regulatory backlash but lacking the lethal ecological toll of lower-ranked entries.