Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) has introduced two new bills in Congress that relate to raw milk. The “Milk Freedom Act of 2014” would overturn the interstate ban on raw milk.

The raw milk debate is nothing new. Federal law currently gives states the discretion to regulate raw milk within their borders; many state governments have considered allowing the sale of raw milk directly to consumers, and some have passed such legislation.

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Over time, however, the tone of the raw milk debate has changed.

As Politico put it, "The debate used to be centered on the health and nutritional benefits of raw milk versus the safety of pasteurized milk, but the likes of Ron Paul — who mentioned the issue in several speeches during his 2012 presidential run and introduced similar bills when he was in Congress — have turned it into one about freedom of choice."

Although many consumers may view the debate as a matter of personal freedom, dairy industry groups focus on the safety of raw milk.

In a prepared statement about the bills Massie has introduced, the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) and the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) said that “the risks inherent in raw dairy products are not worth any imagined benefits to either consumers or producers of unpasteurized milk products.

"Raw milk skips the pasteurization safety process, and this is playing Russian roulette with the health of too many Americans – including many of our children.”

“If this measure passes, those most vulnerable to dangerous pathogens – children – are the ones who will suffer the most. The benefits of consuming raw milk are illusory, but the painful costs of illness and death are very real,” said Jim Mulhern, President and CEO of NMPF.

“Our dairy industry benefits from a very high degree of consumer confidence – confidence built in large part due to the excellent food safety record of milk and dairy products,” said Connie Tipton, President and CEO of IDFA.

“While choice is an important value, it should not pre‐empt consumers’ well‐being. To further ease the regulations surrounding the national sale of raw milk is an unnecessary risk to consumer safety.”

According to the IDFA/NMPF statement, only one to two percent of reported foodborne outbreaks are attributed to dairy products. However, of those, more than 70 percent have been attributed to raw milk and inappropriately‐aged raw milk cheeses.

The “Interstate Milk Freedom Act of 2014” currently has 23 co-sponsors, according to Govtrack.us, and the “Milk Freedom Act of 2014” has 12.

Both bills were assigned to congressional committee on March 26, 2014, which will consider them before possibly sending either bill to the House or Senate. PD