I think the concern over raw milk is overblown

The current discourse focuses on how raw milk is almost infinitely more dangerous than pastuerized milk. This is a true statement, but not a particularly useful one. Every raw food is infinitely more dangerous than it would be pasturiezed/cooked. This statement could equally be applied to vegetables, the number one killer in food poisoning cases.

Now to be fair, this isn’t because vegetables are the most dangerous thing to eat. The fact we eat so many raw veggies is almost certainly the reason it’s the #1 cause of food-related deaths. But my point is this – almost all of us risk food borne illness.

Raw veggies may be a bad example, because they provide so many health benefits. Yet – many of us risk illness/death for reasons that are purely culinary. Show me someone who hasn’t eaten raw cookie dough, and I’ll show you a liar. Many people like sushi and runny eggs. The more adventurous of you may like raw oysters or steak tartare. Every time we indulge in these foods we risk death – ever so slightly.

What’s missing from the conversation is: how dangerous is raw milk compared to other raw foods? Where does it fall on a scale from ceasar salad to licking-a-sewage-pipe?

I’m an adventurous but cautionary eater, so I’m going to wait until that answer becomes more clear before trying raw milk. But as is stands, I understand why people would drink raw milk. Sometimes we take risks with our food.