Choose milk labelled as pasteurised, keep it cold and use it by its date. Heating milk kills the germs that raw milk can carry, and paediatricians say this matters most for children, pregnant people and anyone with a weakened immune system.
Know what you need before starting
You don’t need special equipment. You need a few minutes in the shop to read labels, a fridge that keeps food properly cold, and a clear idea of who in your home is most at risk. Young children are the main concern. Pregnant people, older adults and anyone whose immune system is weakened by illness or medical treatment also face higher risk.
It also helps to know the background. Ars Technica reports that paediatricians have renewed their call to ban raw milk, in a policy statement that reviews the benefits of heating milk to kill germs. The report describes this as happening while anti-science rhetoric is widespread. The full text of the recommendations, and how they apply where you live, are not covered here. Your own national food safety agency is the best guide to local rules.
Raw milk is milk that has not been heated to kill microbes. Pasteurisation is a controlled heating process used in dairy production. It destroys harmful bacteria while keeping the milk usable as a drink. It is one of the best-known food safety measures, and it is the main difference between raw and conventional milk.
Read the label for the word pasteurised
Start with the packaging. In most places where it is sold, milk that has been heat-treated says so on the label. Look for “pasteurised”, “ultra-heat treated” (UHT) or “ultra-pasteurised”. Any of these means the milk has been heated to reduce the germs in it.
Watch out for products labelled “raw”, “unpasteurised”, “fresh from the farm” or “unprocessed”. The rules on sale and labelling vary a lot between countries, and within some countries between regions. Some places ban retail sale of raw milk outright. Others allow it at the farm gate, from vending machines or through herd-share arrangements. If a label doesn’t clearly say the milk is pasteurised, don’t assume it is.
Do the same check on products made from milk. Some cheeses, yoghurts, creams and ice creams are made from raw milk, especially artisanal or speciality products. Soft and fresh cheeses made from unpasteurised milk need particular care where pregnant people and small children are concerned.
Buy from chilled shelves and check the seal
Pasteurisation lowers the number of germs, but milk can still spoil or be contaminated again if it is handled badly. Fresh pasteurised milk should come from a refrigerated display. Pick containers that are intact, properly sealed and not bulging or leaking.
UHT milk is different. It is processed and packaged so that it can sit at room temperature until it is opened. After opening, treat it like fresh milk and keep it in the fridge.
Look at the date before you buy. A use-by date is about safety. A best-before date is mainly about quality. Packaging may use either one, depending on the product and the country.
Keep milk cold at home
Put milk in the fridge as soon as you get home. Bacteria that survive or get in after processing grow faster when milk is warm. Leaving it on a kitchen counter, in a warm car or in a lunch bag without a cool pack shortens its safe life.
Store milk on a main shelf, not in the door, because the door warms up each time the fridge opens. Close the container after every use. If your fridge has no thermometer, a cheap one lets you check that it stays properly cold. Food safety agencies publish the temperature they recommend.
When you pour milk for a child, pour only what they will drink and put the rest straight back. Don’t tip leftover milk from a cup or bottle back into the main container.
Use opened milk within the stated time
Most packaging says how long the milk keeps once opened. Follow that rather than relying on the date printed for the sealed product. Smell and taste can tell you the milk has spoiled. They can’t tell you it is safe, because some harmful bacteria don’t change how milk looks or smells.
For infant feeding, follow the instructions for the specific formula or the advice of your health visitor or paediatrician. Infants have their own guidance, and this guide doesn’t replace it.
Heat unpasteurised milk if you cannot avoid it
If you end up with raw milk, for example on a farm visit or as a gift, the safest choice for vulnerable people is not to drink it. If it will be used anyway, bringing it to a full boil before drinking or cooking with it greatly reduces the risk from bacteria. Let it cool, then refrigerate it.
Home boiling is not the same as commercial pasteurisation. It is a fallback, not a reliable replacement. It also does nothing about contamination after heating if the milk then goes into a dirty container.
Avoid the mistakes people actually make
- Trusting the source. Many people think milk from a clean, well-run farm or healthy-looking animals must be safe. Germs that cause illness can be present even when hygiene is good and the animals seem well.
- Treating “natural” as “safe”. Words like natural, fresh or traditional say nothing about whether the milk has been heat-treated.
- Forgetting dairy products. People who would never drink raw milk sometimes give children raw-milk cheese or desserts without noticing.
- Assuming adults’ tolerance applies to children. Someone who has drunk raw milk without obvious problems may still be putting a child at serious risk. Children can become much sicker from the same infection.
- Relying on smell. Milk that smells fine can still carry harmful bacteria.
- Breaking the cold chain. Pasteurised milk left warm for long periods loses much of the protection that heating gave it.
Recognise when this approach is the wrong choice
This guide covers ordinary household choices about cow’s milk and similar dairy. It is the wrong place to look in some situations.
If someone has a milk allergy or lactose intolerance, pasteurisation doesn’t help, because it doesn’t change the proteins or sugars that cause those reactions. A doctor or dietitian should advise.
If a child or vulnerable person has already drunk raw milk and then gets fever, diarrhoea, vomiting or other worrying symptoms, contact a medical professional promptly rather than following a general guide.
If you produce or sell milk, you are covered by specific legal and licensing rules. Get advice from the relevant agricultural or food standards authority.
Finally, for infants, follow infant feeding guidance. General advice about cow’s milk is not a substitute.
Frequently asked questions
Is raw milk more nutritious than pasteurised milk?
Raw milk is often promoted as more nutritious. Paediatricians, though, have weighed the evidence and concluded that heating milk to kill germs is the better choice for children. Pasteurised milk still provides the protein, fat and minerals people drink milk for. Any small differences in nutrient content have to be set against the risk of serious infection from bacteria that raw milk can carry.
Why are children at greater risk from raw milk?
Children’s immune systems are still developing. Infections that make an adult mildly unwell can make a young child seriously ill. They also drink a lot of milk for their body size, so they take in a larger dose of any germs in it. That is why paediatricians focus on raw milk, and why Ars Technica reports they have renewed their call for a ban.
Does boiling raw milk make it safe?
Bringing raw milk to a full boil greatly reduces the bacteria in it, and it is far safer than drinking the milk unheated. It is not as controlled as commercial pasteurisation, though. The milk can also be contaminated again afterwards by unclean containers or by being left warm. For children and other vulnerable people, buying pasteurised milk is the more dependable option.
How can I tell if milk is pasteurised?
Check the label. In most markets, heat-treated milk is marked as pasteurised, ultra-pasteurised or UHT. Raw milk is usually labelled unpasteurised or raw, but rules differ by country and region, so don’t assume. If the packaging doesn’t clearly say the milk has been heat-treated, treat it as raw. That includes milk bought at farms, markets or vending machines.
Sources and further reading
- Ars Technica health coverage reporting on paediatricians’ renewed policy on raw milk
- National food safety agencies’ consumer guidance on milk labelling, storage and pasteurisation
- Paediatric professional bodies’ policy statements on the consumption of unpasteurised dairy
- Public health agencies’ information on foodborne illness and groups at higher risk
Surfaced from the rss:arstechnica signal “raw milk policy debate”. AI-assisted draft, editorially reviewed.
