• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to after header navigation
  • Skip to site footer
The Healthy Home Economist

The Healthy Home Economist

embrace your right to a lifetime of health

Get Plus
  • Home
  • About
  • My Books
  • Shopping List
  • Archives
  • Log in
  • Get Plus
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Get Plus
  • Log in
  • Home
  • About
  • Subscribe
  • Archives
  • My Books
  • Shopping List
  • Recipes
  • Healthy Living
  • Natural Remedies
  • Green Living
  • Videos
  • Natural Remedies
  • Health
  • Green Living
  • Recipes
  • Videos
  • Subscribe
Healthy Home Economist / Archives / Raw Milk During Pregnancy and Breastfeeding / CDC Data: Raw Milk Safe During Pregnancy

CDC Data: Raw Milk Safe During Pregnancy

by Sarah Pope / Affiliate Links ✔

raw milk babyWhen I was first introduced to the benefits of raw milk nearly 20 years ago, I was newly pregnant with my second child. While I wanted to reap the benefits of this nutrient dense food, I was initially cautious to begin consuming it for fear it might harm my baby.

Everywhere I turned for research and information about the safety of raw milk during pregnancy was negative.

Numerous citations and sources I reviewed warned against consuming raw milk during pregnancy due to the risk of infection with Listeria monocytogenes, a deadly pathogen that can cause fetal death or premature birth.

While the research I uncovered contained dire warnings about infection with Listeria during pregnancy, I couldn’t actually find documentation about anyone who had actually contracted it from drinking raw milk let alone died or miscarried from it!

After much reading and thought, I concluded that the warnings against raw milk were unwarranted and the nutritional benefits to myself and my child vastly outweighed any risk.

I began to consume raw milk along with aged raw cheese, raw cream and raw butter late in the first trimester of my second pregnancy.  I continued this practice throughout my second and third pregnancy with no ill effects.  Both children were born healthy, full term and a normal weight.

Why Does the FDA Warn Against Raw Milk During Pregnancy?

In the 12 years since I began consuming raw milk while newly pregnant, the nonexistence of infection with Listeria monocytogenes for raw milk drinkers has continued.  Analysis of Centers for Disease Control data on raw milk outbreaks listed no cases whatsoever of food-borne illness from raw milk caused by Listeria during the entire 13 year period from 1993-2005.

deaths from raw milk (source: Health Impact News)On the other hand, there have been hundreds of illnesses from Listeria contracted from eating deli meats according to a 2003 USDA/FDA report.

In addition, 147 people across 28 states contracted listeriosis in 2011 from cantaloupes.  33 people died as a result of this outbreak and 1 pregnant woman miscarried.

Even pasteurized milk and cheese carries the very real risk of listeriosis.  From 1998-2012, there were 50 illnesses and 10 deaths (1 fetus) from Listeria contracted from consuming pasteurized milk and cheese in the United States.

Are formal warnings issued to pregnant women regarding the dangers of eating deli meats, pasteurized milk and cheese or cantaloupes while pregnant?

No.

The FDA clearly has a double standard when it warns against consumption of raw milk during pregnancy when no cases or deaths of listeriosis are recorded and yet many have occurred for other foods.

The Dairy That Should be Avoided During Pregnancy

A very real risk of Listeria during pregnancy comes from soft, unaged cheese – both raw and pasteurized.

In Europe, there were 4 deaths from pasteurized soft cheese in 2009.  There have also been a number of illnesses and miscarriages from Mexican style cheese made from raw milk including a few in my home state of Florida.  This cheese is sometimes referred to as “bathtub cheese”.

If you are pregnant, it is wise to avoid soft, unaged cheeses of all kinds due to the very real risk of Listeria.  However, grassfed, raw milk is safe as are aged raw cheeses, raw cream, and raw butter.

Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist

Sources:

Those Pathogens, What You Should Know

Multistate Outbreak of Listeriosis Linked to Whole Cantaloupes

The Nourishing Traditions Book of Baby and Child Care

Outbreaks from Foodborne Pathogens in Milk and Cheeses Sold as Pasteurized, United States, 1998-present

Zero Deaths from Raw Milk, Health Impact News

Government Data Proves Raw Milk is Safe

Picture Credit

FacebookPinEmailPrint
Category: Raw Milk During Pregnancy and Breastfeeding, Raw Milk Safety
Sarah Pope

Sarah Pope MGA has been a Health and Nutrition Educator since 2002. She is a summa cum laude graduate in Economics from Furman University and holds a Master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

She is the author of three books: Amazon #1 bestseller Get Your Fats Straight, Traditional Remedies for Modern Families, and Living Green in an Artificial World.

Her four eBooks Good Diet…Bad Diet, Real Food Fermentation, Ketonomics, and Ancestrally Inspired Dairy-Free Recipes are available for complimentary download via Healthy Home Plus.

Her mission is dedicated to helping families effectively incorporate the principles of ancestral diets within the modern household. She is a sought after lecturer around the world for conferences, summits, and podcasts.

Sarah was awarded Activist of the Year in 2010 at the International Wise Traditions Conference, subsequently serving on the Board of Directors of the nutrition nonprofit the Weston A. Price Foundation for seven years.

Her work has been covered by numerous independent and major media including USA Today, ABC, and NBC among many others.

You May Also Like

Letter to the Journal Pediatrics: Not All Raw Milk Created Equal

Raw Milk In Vogue: Only a Greenlight Away?

Raw Milk In Vogue: Only a Greenlight Away?

Raw Milk University is Here!

Raw Milk Solves Low Milk Supply for Nursing Mom

How to Drink Raw Milk Even When Unsure of Your Source

Raw Goat Milk

CDC Data Proves Raw Milk is Safe

Going to the Doctor a Little Too Often?

Get a free chapter of my book Traditional Remedies for Modern Families + my newsletter and learn how to put Nature’s best remedies to work for you today!

We send no more than one email per week. You will never be spammed or your email sold, ever.
Loading

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Sidebar

Mother Nature’s Medicine Cabinet

5 Secrets to a Strong Immune System

Loading

The Healthy Home Economist

Since 2002, Sarah has been a Health and Nutrition Educator dedicated to helping families effectively incorporate the principles of ancestral diets within the modern household. Read More

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Check Out My Books

Mother Nature’s Medicine Cabinet

5 Secrets to a Strong Immune System

Loading

Contact the Healthy Home Economist. The information on this website has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, or cure any disease. By accessing or using this website, you agree to abide by the Terms of Service, Full Disclaimer, Privacy Policy, Affiliate Disclosure, and Comment Policy.

Copyright © 2009–2025 · The Healthy Home Economist · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc.