On social media, influencers often extol the benefits of drinking unpasteurized milk, commonly known as raw milk. Yet, experts know that consuming unpasteurized milk is dangerous, because it often contains foodborne pathogens, such as Listeria, Salmonella, and Escherichia coli.
But the current understanding of who drinks raw milk remains limited. A paper posted yesterday on the preprint server medRxiv examines trends in raw milk consumption and finds that most people still enjoy pasteurized milk, especially if they know the risks.
“Perceiving raw milk to have higher risk of causing illness was associated with lower odds of raw milk consumption,” wrote the authors, from Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine.
Younger people more likely to try raw milk
Using a nationally representative cross-sectional survey of 1,075 adults, the researchers examined milk consumption behaviors. The survey was conducted in February 2025. Most participants (68%) drank only pasteurized milk over the past six months, while 10% drank raw milk as well as pasteurized milk. Just 5% of respondents consumed only raw milk.
The US Food and Drug Administration estimates, based data from 2016 and 2019, that 4.4% of Americans enjoyed raw milk at least once annually.
In the new study, people who admitted to listening to social media influencers, friends, family, and farmers were more likely to consume raw milk than those who place their trust in doctors and nurses. Those who lived with someone in an at-risk population who drank raw milk were also more likely to consume it.
Perceiving raw milk to have higher risk of causing illness was associated with lower odds of raw milk consumption.
People older than 55 were the least likely to drink raw milk exclusively. Younger people consumed it more often. Those who liked the flavor or believed raw milk is healthier than pasteurized milk also opted for it.
“Raw milk consumption in the US appears to be substantially more common than previously reported and shaped by factors such as taste, safety, and household raw milk consumption among high-risk individuals for foodborne infections,” the authors wrote.