Anyone can become ill after eating or drinking unpasteurized dairy. But “raw” milk and foods made from it are especially risky for children and pregnant people, the American Academy of Pediatrics warned in a new policy statement published in the journal Pediatrics.
The updated guidance calls for a ban on the sale and distribution of unpasteurized dairy. Proponents say these products offer health benefits such as curing allergies and boosting immunity. Scientific evidence does not support these and other raw-milk claims.
“Unpasteurized milk is not better for people’s health than pasteurized milk, it is more dangerous,” said Adam Ratner, a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Committee on Infectious Diseases and lead author of the statement.
Without pasteurization, raw dairy can harbor germs like E. coli, listeria and salmonella. The H5N1 virus, which transmits bird flu, was detected in raw milk samples during the 2024 dairy outbreak, the authors noted. While there are no confirmed cases of bird flu spreading from dairy to humans, “it’s quite concerning,” Ratner said.
Young children are especially vulnerable to these foodborne illnesses. “There’s the potential for transmission through unpasteurized yogurt, ice cream made from unpasteurized milk, even hard cheeses that have been aged can still transmit infections,” said Ratner.
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