Half of Americans do not understand pasteurization process
A new survey from the Annenberg Public Policy Center, however, shows that less than half of US adults know that drinking raw (unpasteurized) milk is riskier than drinking pasteurized milk. The survey included 1,031 adults polled from June 7 to June 10. While only 4% of Americans report regularly consuming raw milk products, selling such products is legal in 30 states.
One in five Americans (20%) said they are not sure if pasteurization can kill harmful bacteria and viruses. And 4% of those polls said pasteurization is simply not effective in doing so.
In the poll, over half of the respondents (54%) think that drinking raw milk is either safer (9%) or just as safe (15%) or are unsure (30%) whether it is more or less safe than drinking pasteurized milk. Pasteurization does not lower the nutritional value of milk, but 16% polled believe that it does destroy nutrients, and 41% aren’t sure.
Outside of H5N1, raw milk is estimated to cause 840 times more illnesses and 45 times more hospitalizations than pasteurized products, according to the Annenberg Center.
It is important that anyone planning to consume raw milk be aware that doing so can make you sick and that pasteurization reduces the risk of milk-borne illnesses.
“It is important that anyone planning to consume raw milk be aware that doing so can make you sick and that pasteurization reduces the risk of milk-borne illnesses,” said Patrick E. Jamieson, director of the Annenberg Health and Risk Communication Institute at the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) at the University of Pennsylvania.
Source: CDC confirms 4th human case of H5N1 avian flu as more dairy herds in Colorado hit | CIDRAP

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