Introduction
In every state within the United States, it is either entirely legal or at least ambivalently legal to purchase raw milk. Raw milk is milk that has been taken from a cow that hasn’t been pasteurized. The pasteurization of raw milk ensures that all of the potentially harmful bacteria that is often in the milk mixture are killed, such as salmonella. However, pasteurizing raw milk also removes much of its naturally occurring nutrient content.
The only state where there is no legal way to obtain raw milk is New Jersey. It is explicitly stated in New Jersey state statute 24:10-57.17. that “No person shall sell, offer for sale, or distribute to the ultimate consumer any milk or cream that is not pasteurized.” In other words, all milk that is produced, sold, and distributed from New Jersey must be pasteurized.
In every other state, however, raw milk can be obtained legally. People who are proponents of consuming raw milk argue that it’s more naturally nutritious than milk which has been essentially sterilized through the pasteurization process, and they are correct. The removal of potentially harmful bacteria is the purpose of pasteurization, but that process also removes many of the nutrients in milk. Because of that, the nutrients have to be artificially reintroduced into the milk so that it regains its original nutrient content.
To learn more about states where raw milk is legal, scroll through the data in the charts.
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