Like your milk unpasteurized? Utah might make it easier to buy and sell raw milk

After lengthy debate and multiple revisions to the bill, Utah may reduce restrictions for selling raw milk — a controversial, unpasteurized product favored by people looking for the health benefits they believe it brings — in a move supporters say aims to increase accessibility and help Utah farmers.

HB179 is sponsored by Rep. Kristen Chevrier, R-Highland, and received unanimous approval from the Senate Business and Labor Committee Wednesday. The bill “restructures how milk is regulated in Utah,” Chevrier told the committee, maintaining strict safety testing but removing barriers to distribution to make purchasing easier. 

Under current law, farmers can only sell raw milk from their farm property or a retail store they own, and they must obtain a permit from the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food. HB179 looks to change that, allowing permitted farmers to sell raw milk at any inspected retail establishment and also allow third parties to deliver the milk to a store, as long as they maintain safe storage standards. 

“We have a lot of people who want to buy raw milk, they drive an hour to get it, and it would be nice if they could just go to a grocery store and pick it up,” Chevrier told Utah News Dispatch, emphasizing the bill intends “to open up the market so that we can promote local production and help the producers get their product to the consumers.”

The bill also removes permit requirements for producers selling raw milk to individuals from their farm, instead requiring the farmer to notify the state’s agriculture department of their intent to distribute. 

“This is a fundamental change in what we’re doing with raw milk,” said Sen. Scott Sandall, R-Tremonton, who sits on the committee. 

Safety regulations

Some claim consuming raw milk brings health benefits, but the Federal Food and Drug Administration warns against consumption, saying raw milk “can pose a serious health risk.” Raw milk is 150 times more likely to cause foodborne illnesses like salmonella, E. coli and listeria, according to Utah’s Department of Health and Human Services. 

Chevrier’s bill also formalizes safety procedures in the event of a bacterial outbreak. Each batch of raw milk must be tested by the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food or an authorized third party before it can be sold. If the bacteria count measures above a certain threshold, the milk must also be tested for pathogens like E. coli and salmonella, among others. 

SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE

Milk that contains any of the listed pathogens cannot be sold. If two out of four consecutive samples — or two samples within a 30-day period — violate the bacterial standards, the state can suspend the producer’s raw milk permit.

“It does not remove oversight, it modernizes and clarifies,” Chevrier told the committee. “The department maintains oversight for outbreaks on every level.”

In the event of a foodborne illness outbreak, the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food must issue cease and desist orders for the sale of that raw milk. Before publicly identifying a raw milk producer as the source of an outbreak, the state must obtain whole genome sequencing evidence that connects the outbreak to a producer’s milk. 

Lengthy debate

Chevrier told Utah News Dispatch she thinks the current version of the bill — after three substitutes and an amendment — strikes a balance between what farmers and regulators want, increasing access while maintaining strict safety guidelines. 

“You see three substitutes, but I think there were 15 drafts,” Chevrier said. “It’s been a process, there have been wants on every side and we just tried to address everything.”

Amber Brown, Utah Department of Agriculture and Food deputy commissioner, echoed Chevrier’s sentiment. She told the committee her department “spent a long time working on this bill over several months” to maintain strict regulations and ensure safe raw milk distribution.

“We want to make sure those that are selling in a commercial setting have appropriate guardrails in place so that the public is safe and is aware of what they’re getting, and that regular testing and inspection is happening,” Brown said. “We’re comfortable with the lesser regulation for those other levels, as long as we can act in the event of an outbreak.”

The Utah Farm Bureau also voiced support for the bill. Terry Camp, the group’s vice president of public policy, told the committee the bureau is “comfortable” with the current version of the bill.

“Producing raw milk takes careful planning from a facility and infrastructure standpoint,” he said. “We believe this bill achieves a reasonable balance, and we really appreciate the sponsor working with us to address our concerns.”

After posing for a picture with Utah farmers outside the committee room, Chevrier expressed gratitude for stakeholders and regulators.

“We all put a ton of work into it,” she said. “I’m just so grateful that we were able to find a place where we agree.”

SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX