Is raw milk safe?

Milk Safety & Oversight

Food safety is best understood in context. No food system is completely risk-free, and meaningful discussions about raw milk start by acknowledging that reality. What matters most is how milk is produced, handled, and managed from cow to container.

Independent food researchers and organizations that study raw milk emphasize that risk is not inherent to “raw” versus “pasteurized” alone, but is closely tied to farm practices, animal health, sanitation, cooling, and accountability. In other words, safety is a function of the system.

Within that context, members should know the following about the Keim farm and how milk is handled:

• The Keim farm is licensed and inspected by the Ohio Department of Agriculture as a Grade A dairy supplying milk to a local dairy.
• As part of that commercial relationship, the farm is subject to routine regulatory inspections and ongoing oversight required of licensed dairies.
• Milk produced on the farm is tested on a regular, weekly basis in accordance with standard dairy testing protocols.
• The same cows, facilities, and daily handling practices are used for both commercial milk production and the herd share.
• Cows are milked by hand, and milk is cooled immediately after milking and handled carefully from cow to container.
• Herd share members receive milk produced within a system that is actively monitored, documented, and professionally managed.

Organizations that track raw milk issues consistently emphasize that informed participation matters. Herd shares are private arrangements designed for people who want a direct relationship with the farm, an understanding of how their food is produced, and transparency into the system that produces it.

For many families, this combination—clear oversight, careful handling, and informed choice—is what makes participation feel appropriate and responsible.