Public health officials and dairy industry groups oppose the practice.
DES MOINES — Raw milk could be sold in grocery stores and farmers markets under an Iowa House bill advanced Tuesday that drew strong warnings and objections from public health professionals, veterinarians and the Iowa State Dairy Association.
Dr. Kenneth May, president of the Iowa Veterinary Medical Association, emphasized the public safety risks of allowing widespread raw milk sales, citing the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza — the bird flu — in dairy cattle.
“A basic function of government is public safety. And this bill crosses the line dramatically,” May told lawmakers during a legislative hearing. “Having it for sale in small markets is one thing. Having it widely open for sale — people don’t realize what they’re opening themselves up to.”
“Those farms that have had positive avian influenza no longer have cats because it killed all the cats,” May said. “ … Our concern is, what is the likelihood — or what is the possibility — of that jumping to our species? And raw milk is the avenue. That virus couldn’t ask for anything better. Milk is an excellent medium for bacteria and viruses to live in … and pasteurization kills it without question. It takes that safety issue off the table.”
Each animal must be examined by a veterinarian annually, including blood tests. The raw milk must be stored at 45°F or lower and distributed within seven days of production. And containers must have labels saying contents were not subject to state inspections or public health regulations.
Under the current law, raw milk can be sold only directly from raw milk dairies to consumers, and not in retail settings like restaurants, stores or farmers markets.
House Study Bill 222 would remove those restrictions, allowing raw milk and related products to be sold at grocery stores or at the farmers market stand. The bill would require a container holding raw milk or a raw milk product be sanitized.
Health officials and industry groups oppose the practice, saying raw milk can be tainted with dangerous bacteria, including E. coli, salmonella and listeria.
Mariah Busta, executive director of the Iowa State Dairy Association, expressed concerns about the unregulated nature of raw milk and the potential for misinformed consumers. Busta emphasized the safety guidelines and testing standards followed by Iowa’s dairy farms to maintain consumer confidence.
“Pasteurized milk is one of the most highly regulated and tested foods on the market,” she said. “Therefore it is one of the safest foods on the market, and we do not want consumers to misinterpret milk safety for the safety of raw milk. … And at the end of the day, we are just wanting to be sure that consumers have confidence that the products that they are purchasing at the grocery store meet those safety standards and are backed by science.”
Robert Horst, a raw milk producer from Butler County, agreed with the need for regulations to protect the industry and consumers, despite personally consuming raw milk. Horst, who milks 200 cows, highlighted the importance of maintaining strict standards to avoid market penalties and ensure product safety.
Proponents, including raw milk producers, argued for consumer freedom and the benefits of raw milk for certain individuals.
Lawmakers heard testimonials from fans of raw milk, including Mikayla Simpson of Warren County, who contend pasteurized milk is more difficult to digest because the process alters enzymes and kills helpful bacteria.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not recommend raw milk as being more nutritious or healthier than pasteurized milk, and in fact, strongly advises against consuming raw milk. Pasteurized milk offers the same nutritional benefits without the risk of contamination, according to federal experts.
“If I drink a glass of pasteurized milk, my stomach’s going to hurt,” Simpson said. “I mean, at the end of the day, we live in America. I think that we have the right to make our own choices. … We sell raw chicken. We sell raw beef. There’s so many products that are not safe.”
Abby Costello is fourth-generation farmer from Cedar Rapids who sells raw milk, cheese, butter and ice cream from a herd of four cows. The business — ABC Acres — also sells home-raised, fresh produce, eggs and Iowa-made gifts at its combination farmers market and a general store off Mount Vernon Road.
Costello said the family business takes pride in its small raw milk herd and wants only the safest, wholesome, nutritious milk for customers.
The business conducts monthly milk testing and works with a herd nutritionist and veterinarian “to ensure our cows are in the best health condition possible at all times.”
“So his is my heart. This is my passion,” Costello told lawmakers, but had concerns about the proposed changes in the bill. She said she supports expanding the current law to allow sales at farmers markets, but worries about expanding to allow retails sales at the grocery aisle.
“I do think it’s a good idea to keep it small and keep out the middleman,” Costello said of grocery stores. “I think when you throw in a grocery store in the middle there’s some places where, like care of the raw milk and growth of bacteria and different things could expand and potentially make a consumer sick. And then who’s responsible, the farmer or the middleman?”
Organizations registered against the bill include the Iowa State Dairy Association, Iowa Public Health Association, Iowa Veterinary Medical Association, Iowa Environmental Health Association and Iowa Grocery Industry Association. The only groups registered in support of the bill were Iowans for Freedom and Americans for Prosperity, the libertarian conservative political advocacy group affiliated with billionaire brothers Charles and the late David Koch.
A House subcommittee voted 2-1 in favor of advancing the bill.
“I hear the consumer is too damn dumb to figure out what they should or should not ingest. And I reject that argument wholeheartedly,” said Rep. Bobby Kaufmann, a Republican from Wilton and author of the bill.
He said he put forward the bill to aid raw milk dairies in the state, like Tenley Farms in Mechanicsville, which is located in his district. Kaufmann and Republican Rep. Craig Johnson, of Independence, signed off to advance the bill to the House Ways and Means Committee.
“I do not need a government permission slip to tell me whether I can and cannot consume the literal oldest food in the history of the Earth,” Kaufmann said. “ … I do not believe I need the government — little Geppetto — sitting on my shoulder telling me what is and is not safe. We are perfectly capable of making that decision on our own.”
Rep. Austin Baeth, a physician and Democrat from Des Moines, declined to sign off. Baeth said lawmakers need to balance reported benefits with known risks.
“Our job in government is to apply reasonable safeguards to help with consumer protection, public safety,” he said.
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