to know!
Pasteurization kills the bacteria in raw milk
that can make people sick
Think about the risk.
Pasteurization is a brief heating process
Drinking raw milk or eating raw milk
products may make you sick.
• In Ontario, to pasteurize raw milk, milk is heated to
72 degrees Celsius for 16 seconds—this process kills
most harmful bacteria
Pasteurization protects everyone,
especially young children
• Before pasteurization, many people, especially children
became sick or died because of bacteria in milk
• Pasteurization is an easy and low-cost way to protect
the public from illness
Pasteurization does not change the quality of milk
• Most nutrients found in raw milk
are also found in
pasteurized milk
• Vitamin D is added to
pasteurized milk to
help the body use the
calcium in milk
• Research shows that
the risks involved in
drinking raw milk are
much greater than
the benefits
Serving pasteurized milk and milk products
to your family helps protect them.
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For more information please call:
Region of Waterloo Public Health
Health Protection and
Investigation Division
519-883-2008 ext. 5147
Visit our website at:
www.regionofwaterloo.ca/ph
Click “Health Topics”, then select
“food safety & inspection results”
Find raw milk resources under
“resources & websites”
I n Canada, it is against the law to sell or give away
raw milk or raw milk products. Raw milk is milk
that has not been heat-treated according to Health
Canada pasteurization standards.
This document is available in
alternate formats upon request.
FEBRUARY 2012
Raw or unpasteurized milk and milk
products (e.g. cheese) often contain
unhealthy types of bacteria that can
make people very sick.
What you
to know!
Anyone who drinks raw milk or eats raw milk
products may become sick
Raw or unpasteurized milk and milk products
often contain unhealthy types of bacteria
There are laws about selling or giving
away raw milk or raw milk products
• Common symptoms are bloody
diarrhea, stomach cramps, fever,
headache, vomiting, and exhaustion
It is not possible to produce milk that
does not have bacteria
It is illegal to sell or give away raw milk and
raw milk products in Canada
• Most healthy people recover within
a short period of time, but some
people could develop long-term
health problems
• Cows naturally carry bacteria that can get into the
milk that they produce
• In Ontario, this law is part of the Health Protection and
Promotion Act (HPPA) and is enforced by public health
departments
Young children, older people,
pregnant women, and people who
have other health problems can get much sicker
There are many ways that
bacteria can get into raw milk
• These people may not be strong enough to fight off
infection and could face long-term, severe, or life
threatening illness such as kidney failure or even death
A person who is sick from drinking
raw milk can make others sick
• Farmers can lower the chances of bacteria getting into
raw milk, but they cannot guarantee bacteria-free milk
• Bacteria can get into milk during
milking, handling, and storage
• Bacteria live on the animal’s udder,
teat canal, skin, milking equipment,
storage containers, milkers and other
animals on the farm
• Bacteria may stay on a sick persons hands if they have
not been washed properly after using the washroom
There are many types of bacteria
that are often found in raw milk
• When sick people touch things around the home, touch
other people or prepare food, the bacteria can spread and
make others sick
• Raw milk may contain a number
of dangerous bacteria including Salmonella,
Campylobacter, Listeria, and E. coli O157:H7
• In some cases, E. coli infection can cause severe
symptoms such as kidney failure and even death
• Infection from Listeria can result in miscarriage
or death of a newborn baby
• Local public health department staff can seize raw milk
products and take action to stop illegal sale and distribution
• Under the law, a person may be fined up to $5,000.
A corporation may be fined up to $25,000
Certain raw milk cheeses are safe and
can be sold in Canada
• Raw milk cheeses must be
aged for at least 60 days
before it can be sold
• Dry and hard cheeses made
from raw milk are generally
safe to eat because of the
aging process