RFK Jr. says he drinks raw milk. How safe is unpasteurized milk?

Raw milk is risky to drink, especially for children and older adults, food scientists say.

Teddy AmenabarNovember 21, 2024 at 2:23 p.m. EST

(RFK is mentally ill. He is a heroin addict.)

Bottles of raw milk are displayed for sale at a store in Temecula, California, on May 8. (JoNel Aleccia/Associated Press)

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said that he drinks raw milk and has criticized the Food and Drug Administration over its “aggressive suppression” of products such as raw milk, which he suggested “advances human health.”

The nation’s health agencies have warned against this claim by Kennedy, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to head the Department of Health and Human Services. “Unpasteurized milk can pose a serious health risk,” the FDA has said, and “raw milk can be a source of foodborne illness,” the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said.

We asked food scientists questions about raw milk and the pasteurization process.