It is illegal to sell raw milk--that is, milk that has not been pasteurized--for human consumption in the State of Indiana. However, you can still find it. Traders Point Creamery sells it as "pet milk", and the Amish-run Grass Point Dairy sells it as well. Both vendors are frequently at the Indy Winter Farmer's Market, which is held at the City Market on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. You can also buy it as part of a herd share with a farmer, although it's a legally grey area.
But the buyer should beware.
A University of Tennessee-Knoxville study warns "An increasing number of people are consuming raw unpasteurized milk. Enhanced nutritional qualities, taste, and health benefits have all been advocated as reasons for increased interest in raw milk consumption. However, science-based data to substantiate these claims are limited. People continue to consume raw milk even though numerous epidemiological studies have shown clearly that raw milk can be contaminated by a variety of pathogens, some of which are associated with human illness and disease."
As any Hoosier schoolchild can tell you, President Abraham Lincoln's mother died from "milk sick" when the cow ate something which turned the milk toxic.
IN.gov warns "Unpasteurized milk can contain the organisms responsible for many different diseases. Some of these diseases are: brucellosis, Q-fever, campylobateriosis, strep infections, staph intoxications, E. coli, salmonellosis, yersiniosis, toxoplasmosis, listeriosis, cryptosporidiosis, and tuberculosis."
So what are the benefits of raw milk, besides a noticeable taste difference? The jury's still out.
"The effect of pasteurization on milk's nutritive value was minimal because many of these vitamins are naturally found in relatively low levels," reads a Canadian study. "However, milk is an important dietary source of vitamin B2, and the impact of heat treatment should be further considered. Raw milk consumption may have a protective association with allergy development (six studies), although this relationship may be potentially confounded by other farming-related factors. Raw milk consumption was not associated with cancer (two studies) or lactose intolerance (one study). Overall, these findings should be interpreted with caution given the poor quality of reported methodology in many of the included studies."
A study featured on PubMed.gov speculates that the purported health benefits of raw milk might be due to the fact it is not homogenized.
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