Did you know? What does Missouri law say about the sale of raw milk?

Raw milk has been in the news a lot lately.

On Dec. 6, the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a federal order requiring dairy farms to share samples of unpasteurized milk when requested. The first round of testing will begin in California, Colorado, Michigan, Mississippi, Oregon and Pennsylvania.

Recently, the state of California issued a voluntary recall of raw milk and cream because of positive tests for bird flu contamination. U.S. public health officials have been closely watching bird flu cases for the last several months, fearing that the virus could mutate and affect people, potentially leading to an outbreak.

In November, a raw milk operation that produces the milk was placed on quarantine after bird flu was detected in the product. It is also a brand favored by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump's pick to head the Department of Health and Human Services. Kennedy had asked Mark McAfee, the CEO of the recalled raw milk company, to join the administration as the "raw milk adviser" according to reporting by Politico.

Experts have said raw milk is one of the riskiest food products people can consume. Yet raw milk sales are on the rise, according to a report by PBS from May. The news outlet reported that sales of raw milk ticked up to 21% to as much as 65% compared with the same time periods a year prior, citing NielsenIQ market research.

"People are seeking raw milk like crazy," Mark McAfee told PBS. At the time, he said no bird flu had been detected in his herds. "Anything that the (Food and Drug Administration) tells our customers to do, they do the opposite." A statement issued by the company following the bird flu test results said none of the cows show signs of bird flu.

Rules in Missouri

Laws regarding the buying and selling of raw milk vary by state. In Missouri, Statute 196.935 says that "only pasteurized graded fluid milk and fluid milk products" are allowed to be sold to consumers, with one exception: "an individual may purchase and have delivered to him for his own use raw milk or cream from a farm."

According to the Missouri Department of Agriculture website, an attorney general opinion concluded that dairy farmers cannot sell raw milk from a distribution center off-site.

What does the pasteurization process do?

Milk is pasteurized through a heating process that kills the germs associated with many illnesses, such as salmonella, E. coli, listeria and campylobacter. The process also kills germs responsible for typhoid fever, tuberculosis, diphtheria, Q fever and brucellosis, according to the FDA.

The process, called "one of the most significant scientific food safety discoveries in human history" by the California Department of Public Health, was first developed by Louis Pasteur in 1864.

The FDA reports that from 1998 through 2018, 202 outbreaks were linked to drinking raw milk.

What does the pasteurizing process NOT do? Here's a list from the FDA:

• Pasteurizing milk does not cause lactose intolerance and allergic reactions;
• Raw milk does not kill dangerous pathogens by itself;
• Pasteurization does not mean that it is safe to leave milk out of the refrigerator for extended time, particularly after it has been opened.

Some raw milk advocates claim that pasteurization diminishes some of the vitamins found in milk before it is heated. The FDA reports that "vitamins that are present at high levels in milk, such as riboflavin, BC and B12, are relatively heat stable. ... The only vitamin that is significantly heat labile is vitamin C, but milk is an insignificant source for vitamin C." Vitamin C in milk was reduced by about 15% after pasteurization according to a study from 1979.