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The American Academy of Pediatrics says unpasteurized milk has no proven health advantage over pasteurized milk that offsets its higher risk of foodborne illness. The policy statement highlights risks to children and pregnant people and says pasteurization inactivates H5N1 virus in milk.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is warning families against raw milk, saying its recently published policy statement found no proven health advantage that outweighs the increased risk of foodborne illness. The guidance gives particular attention to children and pregnant people, who can face serious complications from infections linked to unpasteurized dairy.
The AAP statement, published in the journal Pediatrics, says contamination can enter milk through infected udders, contact with animal feces or environmental sources. Pasteurization heats milk under controlled conditions to eliminate disease-causing microorganisms; the statement says sanitation or filtration alone cannot provide the same protection.
From 2013 to 2018, raw milk consumption was linked to 75 outbreaks in the United States, resulting in 675 illnesses, 98 hospitalizations and two deaths, according to the figures cited in the policy statement. Nearly half of the illnesses were in people younger than 20, and 14% were in children under five. The statement identifies young children, older adults, pregnant people and people with weakened immune systems as groups at higher risk of severe infection.
The AAP also addresses claims that raw milk is more nutritious. Its review says pasteurization does not alter lactose content or remove key minerals such as calcium, magnesium and zinc. Some heat-sensitive proteins and vitamin B2 can be reduced, but the statement concludes that the evidence does not show a health benefit from raw milk that compensates for its infection risk. It says pasteurization inactivates H5N1 virus; at the time the policy statement was prepared, no human cases had been identified as linked to drinking raw milk.
Risks for Children and Pregnancy
The warning is relevant to families because infections from contaminated milk can be more than a short-lived stomach illness. The AAP notes that young children can develop severe complications from diarrheal infections, including hemolytic uremic syndrome associated with certain E. coli infections. For pregnant people, listeriosis is reported to occur about 12 to 14 times more often than in the general population and can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature delivery or severe illness in a newborn.
The figures also show that children are represented among reported raw-milk outbreak illnesses. While the outbreak totals do not predict an individual consumer’s chance of becoming ill, they underpin the pediatricians’ position that choosing pasteurized products is a practical way to reduce an avoidable exposure. The concern extends beyond cow’s milk to dairy products made from other animals, including goats and sheep.
H5N1 adds a developing concern to the established risk of bacterial and other infections. The AAP says infectious virus has been found in raw milk from infected cows and that pasteurization inactivates it. That evidence supports caution, but the statement’s account does not establish that raw-milk consumption had caused human H5N1 cases.
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How Pasteurization Changes Milk
Pasteurization became established in the United States in the 1920s, after unpasteurized milk had been associated with outbreaks of diseases including tuberculosis, typhoid fever, diphtheria and brucellosis. The AAP’s statement places today’s advice against that history while focusing on evidence about current nutritional claims and infection hazards.
Raw milk remains available in some parts of the country, though rules differ by state. Federal regulations prohibit interstate sales of raw milk for human consumption; the policy statement reports that sales were permitted in 27 states as of 2019. Surveys from 2016 and 2019 found that 4.4% of U.S. adults said they had consumed raw milk in the previous 12 months. That figure is a survey observation for those periods, not a current estimate.
The statement says pasteurization can reduce certain bioactive milk proteins and antioxidant activity, but it preserves many nutrients and does not change lactose. It also says the major milk-allergy proteins remain after pasteurization; children with milk allergy should avoid animal milk and milk products rather than switch to raw milk.
“Raw milk offers no proven health advantages over pasteurized milk that outweigh its increased risk of foodborne illness.”
— American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement
Outbreak Risks Still Evolving
The policy statement says the frequency of illness associated with some organisms detected in raw dairy remains uncertain. It also warns that outbreaks could become more frequent if raw-milk consumption rises, but the material does not provide a forecast or quantify how that change would affect illness totals.
Although H5N1 virus has been detected in raw milk from infected cows, the AAP statement reported that no human cases linked to raw-milk consumption had been identified when it was prepared. That status is time-specific; the source material does not provide later case information. State rules and the availability of raw dairy also vary, and the 27-state sales figure dates to 2019.
Families Face Varied State Rules
The immediate development is the AAP’s published policy guidance; the source material does not identify a new federal rule or a scheduled enforcement change. Families choosing dairy can follow the pediatricians’ stated recommendation to use pasteurized milk and milk products, particularly for children and during pregnancy.
Further developments to watch include updated information on H5N1 in dairy herds, any newly reported human cases, and changes in state rules on raw-milk sales. The AAP statement also leaves room for continued monitoring of outbreaks and research on the health claims made for unpasteurized milk. Until such evidence changes the assessment, the organization’s position is that the claimed benefits do not outweigh the documented infection risks.
Key Questions
What is the AAP warning about raw milk?
The AAP says raw milk has no proven health advantage over pasteurized milk that outweighs its higher risk of foodborne illness.
Does pasteurization remove milk’s nutrients?
The AAP review says pasteurization can reduce some heat-sensitive proteins and vitamin B2, but preserves nutrients including calcium, magnesium and zinc. It also leaves lactose content unchanged.
Why are children and pregnant people singled out?
The statement says young children and pregnant people can face particularly serious consequences from certain infections, including severe complications in children and pregnancy or newborn complications from listeriosis.
Has raw milk been linked to human H5N1 cases?
The policy statement reported that infectious H5N1 had been detected in raw milk from infected cows, but no human cases linked to raw-milk consumption had been identified at the time it was prepared. That does not establish the current case status.
Are raw-milk sales legal everywhere in the United States?
No. Federal rules prohibit interstate sales of raw milk for human consumption, while state laws vary. The AAP statement cited sales as permitted in 27 states as of 2019.
Source: rss
