A package of bills aiming to allow direct-to-consumer sale of raw milk in Michigan, among other things, is advancing in the state Legislature.
The bills, HB 5217-5219, were introduced by state Representative Matt Maddock (R-Milford). The bills would allow the farm-to-consumer sale of raw milk and other unpasteurized dairy products including cream, buttermilk, and cheese.
The bills were heard by the House Government Operations Committee last month and advanced by Republicans without any Democratic support. They were heard by the House Rules Committee at a hearing on Thursday.
Ashley Armstrong, a Michigan farmer, testified in support of the bills. Armstrong and her sister started Nourish Food Club, near Kalamazoo, which was ordered by the state to dispose of a large amount of raw dairy products in 2024 after it was found to be in violation of regulatory requirements.
Armstrong said the issue has only recently become politicized and highlighted the importance of consumer choice. Federal law prohibits the sale of raw milk across state lines, but it is up to individual states to govern raw milk sales themselves.
“At its core, this issue today is bipartisan,” she said. “It is about consumer freedom of choice and creating space for small farmers to survive in a food system that increasingly favors large scale industrial operations.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration warn that raw milk can contain dangerous pathogens. Armstrong said consumers should be able to decide for themselves if that risk is worth it.
“All food carries risk, and adults are allowed to make informed decisions involving known risks every single day. Alcohol, vape pens, marijuana, raw cookie dough, sushi with raw fish, and raw oysters. In those cases, the government doesn't ban access. It provides information, and then allows adults to decide for themselves,” Armstrong said.
The popularity of raw milk has grown in recent years, thanks to figures like RFK Jr. and the Make America Healthy Again movement. Armstrong said this increased demand should make the state reconsider its policies.
“Many consumers are increasingly frustrated with the conventional food system and want access to traditional farm-fresh foods. Yet right now, they do not have the freedom to choose them. Our policies have not kept pace with growing public demand,” she said.
Some farming experts voiced opposition.
Mikaylah Heffernan, legislative liaison for the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, submitted written testimony against the bill, highlighting potential safety concerns with the sale of raw milk.
“Expanding raw milk access while reducing oversight poses significant health concerns and potential harm to public health, placing consumers—especially children, who cannot make informed decisions about the food they consume—at unnecessary risk,” she wrote.
Jackie Klippenstein, Senior Vice President and Chief Government and Industry Relations Officer for the Dairy Farmers of America also wrote in opposition to the bills.
“When consumers become ill due to consuming raw milk, regardless of the dairy’s size or nature of [the] incident, the entire industry is negatively impacted. These cases not only hurt dairy farmers, dairy processors and manufacturers, but they also undermine the public’s trust in the dairy products they consume daily. Pasteurization is the most proven and secure method of ensuring that harmful and life-threatening bacteria and other pathogens are removed from the milk supply. Pasteurization offers consumers assurance that their milk is safe,” she wrote.
Health experts have also raised concerns about the safety of unpasteurized dairy products.
Dr. Pamela Ruegg, an epidemiologist and veterinarian at Michigan State University, said even when farmers are following all safety guidelines, contamination is still possible.
“It is extremely difficult to harvest milk, meaning milking the cow into a milking machine, which then moves it to a tank without any of that milk becoming contaminated with bacteria,” Ruegg said. “That applies on big farms and little farms. And it applies even though our farmers do a great job of following the steps of cleaning the udders and keeping the milking equipment clean and refrigerating the milk.”
She said raw milk can contain four main types of bacteria — Campylobacter, Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria. Recently, a baby in New Mexico died from a Listeria infection, which experts think was most likely a result of the mother drinking unpasteurized milk during pregnancy.
“The issue really isn't that most milk isn't safe. The issue is we can't predict which milk isn't safe,” Ruegg said.
