Colorado Considers Allowing Sales of Raw Milk in Latest “Food Freedom” Legislation

The bill would allow dairy farmers to sell raw, or unpasteurized, milk from their farm or at farmers markets and roadside stands

Coloradans could buy raw milk at farms, farmers markets and roadside stands — but not grocery stores — under legislation aimed at giving consumers the power to choose their own food.

The “food freedom” bill would open up direct sales of unpasteurized milk, or milk that hasn’t been heated to kill bacteria, from farmers to customers, but would not impact a creative workaround that for decades has allowed people who want raw milk to get it by purchasing shares in a sheep, goat or cattle herd.

Colorado has some of the most restrictive raw milk rules in the West, an attempt by public health officials to protect people from getting sick from harmful pathogens including E. coli, salmonella and campylobacter. The only way to legally buy raw milk in this state is to sign a bill of sale to become part owner of a herd, a transaction that typically specifies that the dairy farmer will feed and milk the cows for you.

The herd-share arrangement is legal because farmers are allowed to consume their own products.

But under a proposal that got a 7-0 vote in its first Capitol hearing Thursday, dairy farmers could choose to instead open up raw milk sales at their farm, or drive their containers of milk to farmers markets and roadside stands and sell them to any customers who stop by.