Raw milk and cheese cause 840 times more illnesses than pasteurized products

Unpasteurized milk and cheeses made from it are responsible for nearly all foodborne illnesses caused by contaminated dairy products. And the growing popularity of and access to these products threaten to increase the number of disease outbreaks caused by these food items, a new study says. Unpasteurized dairy products cause 840 times more illnesses and 45 times more hospitalizations than pasteurized products do, according to the article, which will be published in the June issue of the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases. “Consumer demand for organic and natural foods … has been on the rise. However, in contrast to some perceptions, natural food products are not necessarily safer than conventional ones, as evidenced by higher rates of foodborne illnesses associated with unpasteurized dairy products,” wrote the authors, consultants for EpiX Analytics of Boulder, Colo.