THE raw milk consumption is not without health risks. Indeed, raw milk is neither cooked, nor even pasteurized or thermized, it contains a certain number of bacteria that are sometimes pathogenic. For this reason, raw milk is strongly discouraged for sensitive people such as pregnant women, young children, the elderly or the sick.
Consumption of raw milk: what are the risks of poisoning?
The risks are proven according to scientists and public health authorities. Despite the precautions taken by breeders, infection of the udders or incidents during milking can lead to a contamination of raw milk by pathogens, naturally present in the digestive tract of ruminants.
Raw milk is raw milk of animal origin that has not undergone any processing or heat treatment. It has not been heated and has never exceeded a temperature of 40° (corresponding to the animal’s body temperature). Jonathan Coufort, dietician.
In short, you end up with the animal’s bacteria on your plate or in your glass. In the best case scenario, you expose yourself to a good old gastroenteritis but in the worst case, severe complications can occur when germs reach other organs or spread throughout the body. Meningitisb Encephalitis, bone diseases, septicemia…all these serious diseases can lead to death.
Let us add that raw milk is sometimes hard to digest (even outside of any lactose intolerance or allergy), and this is due to its bacterial biodiversity. Nevertheless, due to its richness in lactic bacteria, this food is often beneficial to the balance of the intestinal flora.
What bacteria are in raw milk?
In France, most poisonings are linked to the consumption of raw milk. ANSES reports that “34%, 37% and 60% of epidemics respectively of salmonellosis of listeria and ofenterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) infectionare linked to the consumption of raw milk cheese”. Raw milk also exposes women to the risk of toxoplasmosis infection, especially in pregnant women.
Food poisoning caused by these bacteria can cause: fever, diarrhea, vomiting and in more serious cases: kidney damage in children, miscarriage or even death. Jonathan Coufort, dietician.
To better prevent the risks of contamination, several ANSES teams have started making raw milk cheese in order to better understand the mechanisms of contamination of milk during its manufacture. They then studied infection by pathogens other than those mentioned above (which are the most frequently associated with the risk of poisoning): the first project focuses on the tick-borne encephalitis virus which contaminated 43 people in 2020 due to the consumption of goat’s milk. The second project launched in October 2023 and focuses on the risk of contamination of reblochon by the Brucella melitensis bacteriaThis work may make it possible to establish regulations to limit the risks.
What are raw milk cheeses?
Raw milk is labeled as such in the fresh produce section. There are also a large number of foods made with raw milk such as cream and cheese. If you want to avoid raw milk, you will therefore have to pay attention to the composition of the products marked on the packaging.
Depending on the manufacturing processes, cheeses can be made with raw milk or pasteurized milk. Among the cheeses made with raw milk we can find:
- Soft cheeses with bloomy rinds (like the camembert, brie, picodon, pélardon, neufchatêl, crottin) ;
- Uncooked pressed cheeses (as Morbier, Reblochon, Saint-Nectaire, Tome de Savoie, Cantal, Salers) ;
- Soft cheeses with washed rind (as Munster, Pont l’Evêque, Mont d’Or or Maroilles) ;
- Blue cheeses (as Roquefort, Fourme d’Ambert or blue cheese) ;
- Raw milk goat cheeses ;
- Fresh cheeses made from unpasteurized raw milk (like the buffalo mozzarella, raw ricotta).
Cooked cheeses (like Emmental) are the least risky
If there is any doubt about an infectious risk, it is better to opt for a cooked pressed cheese (such as Emmental, Comté, Abondance, Beaufort, Gruyère, etc.), processed spreadable cheeses (Kiri ® , Boursin ® , etc.) and cheeses made from pasteurized milk.
Raw or pasteurized milk: what’s the difference?
Raw milk has not undergone no thermal process unlike cooked, pasteurized or even thermized milk. pasteurization consists of heating a liquid above 60° and cooling it suddenly in order to destroy pathogenic germs. Products based on cooked or pasteurized milk therefore do not pose a risk of poisoning.
On the other hand, foods and cheeses at thermised milk are not recommended for fragile people. Indeed, the thermalization which consists of heating the product between 57 and 68° for 15 seconds is not sufficient to eliminate all potentially pathogenic bacteria.
Note that there are other thermal processes that raw milk has not undergone, such as sterilization, microfiltration or even ultrafiltration.
Why not give raw milk to young children?
Since 2020, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food has recommended not giving raw milk or raw milk cheese to young children under five years old.
Indeed, these foods present a significant excess risk of bacterial infection in children, especially for those under 5 years of age in view of their immune defenses. This excess risk decreases with age until 15 years of age when it returns to normal, according to available studies.
For its part, ANSES even advises against raw milk before the age of 10.
Pregnant women and raw milk: what are the risks?
Unpasteurized raw milk cheeses pose a risk of contamination to the expectant mother. The Ministry of Agriculture and Food strongly advises against these foods in THE pregnant woman.
E.coli infection, listeria toxoplasmosis or salmonellosis… During these diseases, bacteria are likely to cross the placental barrier, compromising the health of the baby. Death of the fetus, premature delivery, miscarriage, birth defects, neonatal infection… The consequences can be serious.
Note that listeriosis and toxoplasmosis can cause flu-like symptoms in pregnant women (such as fatigue, body aches and sore throat). The risk of toxoplasmosis contamination increases as pregnancy progresses.
Vulnerable people: can they consume raw milk?
ANSES and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food strongly advise against the consumption of raw milk or raw milk cheese by elderly or sick people, hospitalized patients or immunocompromised patients. The bacteria present in raw milk can cause serious illnesses or even death in these fragile individuals.
How to safely consume raw milk? How to store it?
If you like raw milk and soft cheeses, you can continue to consume them under certain conditions.
Raw milk must be kept in the refrigerator (4°) for a maximum of 72 hours. Be careful to respect the cold chain during transport. Vulnerable populations should not consume raw milk or products made from raw milk (children under 5, pregnant women, the elderly and people with immunodeficiencies). Jonathan Coufort, dietician.
Here’s how to recognize expired raw milk:
- L’smell becomes unusual and unpleasant
- THE color change (blue or gray spots, white that turns yellow, etc.)
- THE initial consistency is altered
- THE taste becomes spicy in the mouth.