Raw Milk in Massachusetts

Why are more and more people in Massachusetts seeking safe sources of raw milk? Raw milk is the term for milk that is not pasteurized or homogenized. The raw milk that most people drank two generations ago on farms, straight from a cow or goat, chilled or udder-temperature, is gaining in popularity, especially in New England states such as Massachusetts.

Proponents of raw milk claim that pasteurization kills enzymes that help the body to process lactose, and to absorb more calcium from the milk. Vitamins such as vitamin C, and certain B vitamins can be reduced by as much as 50% when the necessary heating of raw milk takes place during pasteurization.

Of course, the milk industry pasteurizes for very good reasons: milk-related food poisoning from such bacteria as tuberculosis, listeria, and salmonella was a common problem until widespread pasteurization began in the 1930s and 1940s in the United States. So, if pasteurized milk is safer, why are people in Massachusetts producing raw milk, at prices that are 2-3 times what you'd pay in a store, and why are raw milk buyers snapping it up?

In Massachusetts, raw milk dairies are highly regulated by the state and the town the farm is in. Every month, the raw milk dairy farm is inspected by a Massachusetts town official or a state official, who takes a sample of the raw milk. Within 24 hours the results of tests are available, and if certain bacteria in the milk go out of the range of normal, the dairy farm is called. The dairy farmer must then call all of his or her customers and alert them to the contamination issue. Then, the raw milk producer in Massachusetts breaks down all of their equipment, cleans it carefully, and then retests new milk produced using the equipment. The town or state official returns for the new test, and certifies the dairy to continue.

Large-scale dairy farms that pasteurize their milk go through similar procedures, but a small farmer in Massachusetts selling raw milk has a stronger relationship with their customers, who they know by name, and one mistake can ruin a raw milk dairy farmer's reputation in Massachusetts. A larger, pasteurizing dairy system might bounce back quickly from a contamination issue in pasteurized milk.

Raw milk is believed by drinkers to be healthier, and many children and adults diagnosed with lactose intolerance find that they can drink raw milk readily. To find a raw milk farm in Massachusetts, go to Eat Wild's website.