Consumers want hormone-free dairy even as FDA warns about health risks

 

Morry Gash / AP Jane Ratajczak carries her raw milk to her car in New Holstein, Wis.

Updated 12:05 p.m. ET, Thurs., April. 10, 2008

NEW HOLSTEIN, Wis. - Despite potentially serious health risks, demand for unpasteurized, or raw, milk is growing among consumers concerned about chemicals, hormones and drugs.

With prices topping $5 per gallon, more dairies are selling raw milk — and finding themselves at odds with public health officials. The federal government and a majority of states prohibit sales of raw milk to the public, claiming it is responsible for hundreds of people sickened in the past decade with salmonella, E. coli, Listeria monocytogenes and other bacteria.

“Raw milk continues to cause outbreaks year after year,” said John Sheehan, who oversees plant and dairy food products for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. “It is a concern for the

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