Yes.
Minnesota allows for the sale of raw milk — milk that has not gone through pasteurization — with caveats. Per Minnesota Statute 32D.20, unpasteurized milk must be purchased from the farm of origin for personal use. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture also states that farmers are not allowed to bottle raw milk, so customers must bring their own containers for pickup. A U.S. directory from The Campaign for Real Milk, affiliated with the Weston A. Price Foundation, lists 75 locations in Minnesota that sell raw milk.
On a related note, the Department of Agriculture announced Jan. 8 that 15 more states, including Minnesota, had enrolled in the National Milk Testing Strategy to test raw milk samples for H5N1, or avian flu. Reporting from MPR, however, indicates that only milk that will later be pasteurized will be tested when tests begin. Milk sold raw will not be tested for the virus.
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MinnPost partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs.
Sources
- Minnesota State Statute: 2024 Minnesota Statutes
- American Dairy Association North East: What is Pasteurization and Why is it Important?
- Minnesota Department of Agriculture: What is Raw Milk?
- U.S. Department of Agriculture: U.S. Department of Agriculture Announces 15 Additional States Onboard With National Milk Testing Strategy for H5N1, Shares Update on Vaccination Efforts
- MPR: Milk from Minnesota dairy farms to undergo mandatory testing for bird flu
- The Campaign for Real Milk Raw: Milk Finder
