Expert Cautions Against Drinking Raw Milk

Clinical Associate Professor and Chair for the Department of Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Mindy Haar, Ph.D., RDN, is one of several experts quoted in a Forbes article about raw milk. Haar explains that raw milk foregoes pasteurization, the process of heating milk to a high enough temperature for a set period to kill potentially harmful microorganisms. And while consumers are right to be concerned about ultra-processed foods, Haar cautions against conflating these issues when it comes to milk, noting that it’s not the same as choosing between a fizzy drink and freshly squeezed fruit juice.

“This is a very different issue, as pasteurization has a significant impact on reducing foodborne illness, [while] raw milk has little nutritional benefit,” she says.