INSIDE COMPLIANCE

Milk that has not undergone pasteurization to kill potentially harmful pathogens, known as raw milk, is at the center of a growing regulatory debate. In 2026, state legislators introduced more than forty bills seeking to expand access to unpasteurized dairy products. Now, federal legislators have entered the conversation with the proposed bipartisan Interstate Milk Freedom Act (Milk Act), which would prevent federal interference with raw milk sales between states that have legalized the product. Supporters frame these proposals as a matter of personal freedom, claiming that if adults understand the risks, there is no reason for the government to prevent them from drinking milk straight from a farm. That argument, however, assumes that consumers receive enough reliable information about raw milk to fully understand those risks. Under the current patchwork of state laws, that assumption is unlikely.