Tag: Louis pasteur

In the mid-19th century, milk spoilage and milkborne diseases were rampant, with some estimates linking milk to nearly a quarter of all food and waterborne outbreaks in the U.S. before 1938. This grave public health crisis was eventually addressed by a groundbreaking invention that increased the shelf life of milk and made it safe for consumption: pasteurization.

According to the CDC, from 1998 through 2018, there were 202 outbreaks of illness linked to raw milk, causing over 2,600 illnesses and numerous hospitalizations. This stark reality is the foundation for understanding how raw milk became illegal for sale in many areas and why it remains a contentious public health issue.

In the early 1900s, before widespread pasteurization, milk was a leading cause of childhood illness, with infant mortality rates 30 to 60 times higher than today. This harrowing reality is the foundational reason why was milk originally pasteurized, a story rooted in both scientific innovation and public health necessity.

According to the CDC, from 1998 through 2018, there were 202 outbreaks linked to drinking raw milk, causing over 2,600 illnesses and 228 hospitalizations. This high risk of foodborne illness is the primary reason why humans stopped drinking raw milk and shifted towards safer, pasteurized alternatives.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), between 1993 and 2006, 82% of milk-only outbreaks of foodborne illness in the U.S. were caused by unpasteurized milk. This stark statistic highlights a central debate: is it better to have pasteurized or unpasteurized milk? The answer involves weighing potential health risks against often exaggerated nutritional claims.