NMPF Helps Scuttle Raw Milk Bill in Louisiana
May 6, 2016
A state bill aimed at legalizing the sale of raw milk in Louisiana is dead for the year, thanks in part to NMPF’s comments vehemently opposing the legislation.
Senate bill 29 would have allowed the direct sale of raw milk to consumers by removing existing regulations. It passed the Louisiana Senate on April 18, but was voted down May 5 in the House Agriculture committee. Louisiana remains one of the last southern states that does not allow the sale of raw milk.
NMPF and IDFA submitted comments emphasizing raw milk is considered a public health risk, a fact that has been well-documented in scientific literature with evidence spanning over 100 years.
“The CDC has reported nearly 80% of raw milk-associated outbreaks have occurred in states where sale of raw milk was legal,” said NMPF. “Easing the regulations around the state-wide sale of raw milk in Louisiana increases the risk to public health, opening up the state’s consumers to the inevitable consequence of falling victim to a foodborne illness.”
The comments cited research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which found that unpasteurized milk was at least 150 times more likely to cause food-borne illness outbreaks than pasteurized milk. The dairy industry benefits from a very high degree of consumer confidence, the two dairy groups said, confidence that could be lost should raw milk be legally sold to consumers.
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