Still Illegal: Raw Milk Sales in Louisiana

For a moment, it seemed like raw milk producers in Louisiana had a glimmer of hope of being able to legally sell it to eager consumers. But nope, the bill that would have allowed raw milk sales in Louisiana failed to pass the Senate Health and Welfare Committee earlier in May 2015.

Currently, it is legal for Louisiana raw milk producers to give it away but not to sell it. Senate Bill 238 would have legalized the sales of raw milk up to 500 gallons per year.

Senator Eric LaFleur, who authored the bill, likened the natural health benefits of raw milk to those of medical marijuana. “We’re going out of our way to make marijuana legal for health reasons; it seems we could do the same thing for milk,” he said.

Raw milk supporters were disappointed to hear of the failure of the bill, but optimistic at another chance next year. For now, they’ll have to continue to forgo or smuggle the raw milk in from neighboring states where sales are legal.

Realmilk.com is a consumer education project of the Weston A. Price Foundation, a nutrition education nonprofit based in Washington, D.C. Visit their website, westonaprice.org.