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Thursday, Jan. 16, 2025

Can you buy raw milk in Minnesota legally?


yes

Minnesota allows for the sale of raw milk — milk that has not gone through pasteurization — with caveats. Per Minnesota Statute 32D.20, unpasteurized milk must be purchased from the farm of origin for personal use. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture also states that farmers are not allowed to bottle raw milk, so customers must bring their own containers for pickup. A U.S. directory from The Campaign for Real Milk, affiliated with the Weston A. Price Foundation, lists 75 locations in Minnesota that sell raw milk. 

On a related note, the Department of Agriculture announced Jan. 8 that 15 more states, including Minnesota, had enrolled in the National Milk Testing Strategy to test raw milk samples for H5N1, or avian flu. Reporting from MPR, however, indicates that only milk that will later be pasteurized will be tested when tests begin. Milk sold raw will not be tested for the virus.

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