Is milk currently safe to drink? Doctor issues warning about pasteurized dairy

The government is really milking its resources.

A leaked memo from the Food and Drug Administration announced a policy change that some believe could harm milk consumers.

Following the recent revelation that the FDA has halted its quality assurance testing on Grade A dairy products, consumers are concerned about which brands of milk are safe to drink. bodnarphoto – stock.adobe.com

On Tuesday, Reuters reported that the FDA will suspend its proficiency testing process for Grade A milk and other dairy products following budget and staffing cuts, per the memo, amid President Trump’s effort to remove 20,000 federal employees from the Department of Health and Human Services.

The FDA, which falls under the purview of HHS, has lost 3,500 roles as of April 1, according to NPR.

An FDA spokesperson also confirmed to the Washington Post that the current constraints will continue until a new quality assurance laboratory has been established.

“In the meantime, state and federal labs continue to analyze food samples, and FDA remains committed to working with states to protect the safety of the pasteurized milk supply,” the spokesperson told WaPo.

The news has many grocery shoppers concerned about the safety of their dairy products, particularly milk — such as TikTok user @cheyford95, whose video warning others about the change went viral on the app last week.

The TikTokker offered a litany of store brands she intends to avoid: “They will not be tested for any diseases, any pathogens, anything like that.”

In response to the ensuing uproar around dairy products, popular health influencer and pediatric allergist Dr. Zachary Rubin advised consumers to move from standard pasteurized to ultra-pasteurized products.

“If you drink cow’s milk … look for ultra pasteurized milk, where the milk is cooked at higher temperatures, which his more likely to kill off more microbes and have a longer shelf life.”

“You could also consider plant-based alternatives, like almond milk or oat milk. But that’s also going to depend on your underlying health issues, and there’s [sic] still potentially issues regarding food safety,” Ruben added, referring to the potential for quality testing cuts to other food groups under the FDA’s watch.

Milk that has been ultra-pasteurized, also labeled ultra-high-temperature (UHT) milk, means it was heated enough to kill most harmful pathogens. This process affords milk products a longer shelf-life — although the United States Department of Agriculture recommends milk be consumed seven to 10 days after opening and stored in the refrigerator.

In the WaPo report, an expert further explained that the FDA cuts only affect quality checks on the individual milk producers’ own testing measures, rather than on the milk itself. Meanwhile, milk brands will continue to ensure their products are safe through their own monitoring systems.

“Ultimately, we’re a very highly regulated industry, and it’s going to continue to be very carefully regulated and monitored,” said Nicole Martin, an assistant research professor in dairy foods microbiology at Cornell University.