{"id":1383,"date":"2026-07-24T05:55:42","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T05:55:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/?p=1383"},"modified":"2026-07-24T05:55:42","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T05:55:42","slug":"5-quotes-on-raw-milk-from-raw-farm-owner-mark-mcafee-propublica","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/valutednews.com\/?p=1383","title":{"rendered":"5 Quotes on Raw Milk From Raw Farm Owner Mark McAfee \u2014 ProPublica"},"content":{"rendered":"
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I never thought I\u2019d spend six months of my life investigating raw milk. But I did.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In early June, ProPublica published a story I reported that features Mark McAfee<\/a>, who runs America\u2019s largest raw-milk dairy. The story came about after months of reporting on how the Trump administration\u2019s policies were reshaping federal health agencies<\/a>. My colleagues and I spoke with dozens of civil servants, many of whom described a climate of fear in which routine science had suddenly become politicized.\u00a0<\/p>\n

One notable example they shared with me was raw milk, which most scientists and health experts agree has no significant, proven nutritional benefits<\/a> over its pasteurized counterpart and subjects its consumers to over 100 times the risk of foodborne illness<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But under the leadership of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., current and former government workers told me, the federal approach to raw milk was shifting to align with his priorities. In his new role, Kennedy said he was \u201cadvocating<\/a>\u201d for it and celebrated<\/a> the release of a federal report to Make America Healthy Again with a toast of raw-milk shooters in the White House.<\/p>\n

McAfee, who counts Kennedy as a customer, has advocated for raw dairy for more than two decades. But only in recent years has raw milk, which once drew a fringe crowd, been thrust into the mainstream. More than 10 million Americans now drink it; national weekly sales rose by 65% from 2023 to 2024 alone.<\/p>\n

McAfee\u2019s farm is pulling in about $30 million a year. It has also attracted significant scrutiny: Federal and state regulators have linked his business to more than a dozen recalls and outbreaks that had left hundreds of people ill.<\/p>\n

Raw milk\u2019s success had confounded me: How had it gained such a foothold in this country, despite regular outbreaks of salmonella and E. coli?\u00a0<\/p>\n

Speaking with McAfee seemed like a good place to start. The story I reported takes you through my extended tour of his farm<\/a>, and I encourage you to read it<\/a>. Below, I\u2019ll take you through some of the highlights of my conversations and interactions with McAfee and contextualize them with my reporting.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cI\u2019m begging you to say: \u2018This is not anti-science, this is extremely pro-science. \u2026 It\u2019s using science that is not conveniently accepted yet.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dairy owner Mark McAfee, on the claimed benefits of raw milk<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n

If you trust 150 years of bedrock science, there is little reason to consume raw milk. By definition, it has not been pasteurized, the simple process of heating milk to kill off harmful bacteria. Before the practice was widely adopted a century ago, thousands of babies died each year from illnesses linked to contaminated dairy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Today, most scientists and health experts agree that raw milk has no significant, proven nutritional benefits<\/a> over its sanitized counterpart, cannot treat or cure disease<\/a>, and subjects its consumers to over 100 times the risk of foodborne illness<\/a>, which can be especially dangerous for young children. Despite stringent hygiene efforts, contamination from deadly bacteria remains an inherent, unavoidable risk in unpasteurized dairy.<\/p>\n

Exhaustive reviews of the published science<\/a> on raw milk have broadly been unable to substantiate claims of its benefits, and most experts agree that it is neither healthy nor safe to consume<\/a>. But McAfee said his customers know better. To him, the stories of families who believe raw milk has transformed their health are their own form of evidence, revealing truths that institutions have failed to capture. \u201cIf raw milk was a fad or a lie, then why would people repeatedly buy raw milk and then tell the world how they love it,\u201d he said. \u201cOur consumers read their gut and watch their kids thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n

He also said the government hasn\u2019t invested enough in research to assess its benefits.<\/p>\n

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A laboratory technician prepares broth to test for pathogens inside a lab at Raw Farm.<\/span> Sarahbeth Maney for ProPublica<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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\u201cI\u2019ve put a couple kids in the hospital, and they have been sick, but they recovered. \u2026 But here\u2019s the thing: I\u2019m a pioneer. And I\u2019m going against the grain here. I\u2019m climbing a mountain they say you can\u2019t climb.\u201d<\/p>\n

McAfee, on his experience as a raw-milk producer<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n

In 2006, six people contracted E. coli during the first outbreak connected to McAfee\u2019s farm, according to federal regulators<\/a>; their median age was 8. While the outbreak\u2019s specific strain of E. coli was not found in the products, some samples taken by investigators had high bacterial counts, indicating<\/a> contamination.\u00a0<\/p>\n

One of the children affected was 7-year-old Chris Martin. After about a month of drinking raw milk, he fell gravely ill with a dangerous strain of E. coli, known as O157:H7. Chris suffered permanent kidney damage. Now 27, he can\u2019t drink alcohol and will spend the rest of his life under a nephrologist\u2019s care because of his elevated risk of chronic kidney disease.<\/p>\n

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