There’s an outbreak of illnesses linked to people drinking raw milk in Florida.
Raw milk is unpasteurized animal milk that is a common source of foodborne illnesses, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
University of South Florida public health professor Jill Roberts said such outbreaks are becoming more common with a rise in misinformation.
In Florida, raw milk cannot be sold for human consumption but can be purchased for animal food.
ALSO READ: Raw milk linked to 21 illnesses in Florida, health officials warn
Roberts said it’s possible but unlikely that the bacteria in raw milk, such as salmonella, E. coli and listeria, could be contracted by feeding the milk to animals.
“It’s generally going to be an organism that is going to be eaten, so you’re going to have to ingest it in some way,” Roberts said.
She said this could happen if you don’t wash your hands between touching raw milk and touching your mouth.
Some people claim raw milk has a better taste and can protect them from asthma and allergies. But Roberts said there’s no data to back up these claims.
“But unfortunately, it’s hard to counteract misinformation,” she added.
The Food and Drug Administration shared last year that drinking raw milk does not cure lactose intolerance, does not prevent asthma, allergies or osteoporosis, and is not “nutritionally superior” to pasteurized milk.
While the Florida Department of Health said people have consumed raw milk safely, the risks include gastrointestinal illnesses and possibly organ failure.
Of the 21 cases of Campylobacter and STEC (Shiga toxin-producing E. coli) infections reported in Florida, at least two people have had severe complications. Six are children under age 10.
E.coli can lead to kidney failure and elderly people, young children, pregnant women and immune-compromised patients are at higher risk.
The department also said it has concerns about sanitation practices at Keely Farms Dairy in New Smyrna Beach, which has been linked to all 21 illnesses.
On Thursday, the department said it will continue working with the farm "to ensure that effective sanitation practices are implemented consistently across every batch" of milk.
Roberts said people can buy milk pasteurization kits online and do it at home.
“So definitely a small farm can do it,” she said. “You can do it in your own house.”
She added that pasteurization methods were invented to keep people healthy.
“If we’ve made the technological advances to making milk safe … why would we want to go backward to making milk unsafe?” Roberts said. “It just doesn’t make sense.”
The Raw Milk Institute, which sets standards adopted across North America for low-risk production of raw milk, suggests testing for coliform bacteria once a month and screening animals for health issues regularly.
