Raw facts about raw milk

Raw milk has not been pasteurized, meaning it could still contain harmful bacteria and other pathogens that can cause severe, or in some cases fatal, illness.

It is illegal to sell raw milk or cream products in Canada (with the exception of certain raw milk cheeses), so all milk has to be pasteurized before being sold. The milk is heated to a high temperature, which kills any bacteria, but pasteurization does not affect milk quality.

Milk is sampled and tested at every farm before it’s picked up by the milk truck, to ensure safety and quality. And every milk truckload is tested again at the processing plant, so if there’s a problem, the entire load is rejected. It’s something dairy farmers take very seriously.

To learn more about food safety in milk processing, check out