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i) Safe raw milk is raw milk which is safe for human consumption in its raw state;
and unsafe raw milk is raw milk which is unsafe for human consumption in its
raw state and which may or may not be made safe by pasteurization.
ii) Raw milk for drinking is raw milk produced so that it can be safely consumed in
its raw state, but it can also be utilized for mass production; and raw milk for
pasteurization or processing is raw milk made for mass production which
must necessarily be pasteurized to ensure pathogenic safety and it cannot be
safely consumed raw.
iii) Certified raw milk is raw milk produced under government regulations which
would assure its safety for human consumption in its raw state through
improved production methods, testing and inspections; and uncertified raw
milk is raw milk as it is currently produced in Canada, i.e. without any
government regulations assuring its safety for human consumption in its raw
state.
iv) Consumer distribution methods will be defined as being either direct or retail,
i.e. direct farmer to consumer sales, or retail sales on store shelves.
v) Pooling is the process whereby the raw milk from two or more farms is mixed
together prior to processing. This means that the milk from any given farm
cannot be traced to the final packaged product. Segregation is the process
whereby milk in its final packaged form can be traced to its source from one
specific farm.
vi) Producers are the farmers who make raw milk. Processors are the dairies which
pasteurize and package raw milk for retail distribution.
9. Summary of findings
We present our overall findings on the safety of raw milk in the chart below. The rows
represent the four types of raw milk, whether retail or direct, and whether certified or
uncertified. The columns represent the different types of farming operations that supply
raw milk, whether for mass production, for raw human consumption, or a combination of
both:
Raw Milk made for
Mass production
strictly
Mass production and
raw human
consumption
Raw human consumption
strictly (high standards of
production)
Direct
Raw milk can be safe
Raw milk can be safe
Raw milk is safe. No
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