Original Adoption: January 2013; Revised February 2026
(References used in the development of the position statement are shown at the end of the statement.)
The Black Hawk County Board of Health does not support the retail sale of raw milk and products containing raw milk for public consumption. Current data shows the consumption of raw milk does not provide any substantial health benefits, while posing significant public health risk.
The Board finds that:
Claims of the benefits of raw milk are not accurate.
• Raw milk provides no demonstrated nutrition advantage over pasteurized milk.
• Pasteurization does not significantly degrade the nutritional quality of milk.
• Nutrients which provide substantive value in raw milk are present to the same degree in pasteurized milk.
• Removal of immunological, allergic and structural advantages of raw milk during pasteurization is not supported by peer-reviewed research.
• There is no reputable science to support claims that raw milk cures lactose intolerance, asthma, allergies, is more effective at preventing osteoporosis, or building immune systems.
Hygienic concerns of raw milk exist.
• Even under ideal hygienic conditions for the collection and packaging of raw milk, the probability of contamination is high.
• Raw milk can contain a variety of disease-causing pathogens, including E. Coli 0157:H7, Salmonella, Streptococcus spp., Yersinia Enterocolitica, Campylobacter jejuni, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and Coxiella burnetti.
• These disease agents can cause severe and life-threatening illness, particularly in the very young, elderly, pregnant women, and persons with compromised immune systems
Current published works on the effect of public raw milk availability demonstrate increased illness.
• Raw milk is 150 times more likely to cause illness and results in 13 times more hospitalizations than pasteurized milk.
• States that have expanded the sale of raw milk for retail have shown a nearly four-fold increase in illness outbreaks associated with raw milk.
• Consumption of raw milk poses the risk of contracting Avian Influenza (H5N1).
• Raw milk represents less than 1% of all milk consumed in the US, yet it is responsible for the majority of all milk-related disease outbreaks.
Board of Health Recommendation
The Black Hawk County Board of Health supports current Iowa Law which restricts the retail sale of raw milk for public consumption. We find this to be sound public policy which protects and preserves the health of Iowans.
References
1. Koski, L., Kisselburgh, H., Landsman, L., Hulkower, R., Howard-Williams, M., Salah, Z., . . . Nichols, M. (2022). Foodborne illness outbreaks linked to unpasteurised milk and relationship to changes in state laws – United States, 1998–2018. Epidemiology and Infection, 150, E183.
2. Langer, A. J., Ayers, T., Grass, J., Lynch, M., Angulo, F. J., & Mahon, B. E. (2012). Nonpasteurized Dairy Products, Disease Outbreaks, and State Laws—United States, 1993–2006. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 18(3), 385-391.
3. Macdonald, L. E., Brett, J., Kelton, D., Majowicz, S. E., Snedeker, K., & Sargeant, J. M. (2011). A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Effects of Pasteurization on Milk Vitamins, and Evidence for Raw Milk Consumption and Other Health-Related Outcomes. Journal of food protection, 74(11), 1814–1832.
4. Nelli, Rahul K., et al. Exploring influenza A virus receptor distribution in the lactating mammary gland of domesticated livestock and in human breast tissue. Journal of Dairy Science, 28 Nov. 2025.