Raw milk proponents push for fewer restrictions on Illinois sales despite state health warnings

Article Summary

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (Capitol News Illinois) – With the ascension of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to U.S. Health and Human Services secretary and allies in the Make America Healthy Again movement, raw milk advocates have cheered on newfound support at the federal level. These developments, they hoped, could set the stage for more widespread sales of the controversial beverage.

However, a turnaround is not likely in the cards in Illinois, as the state’s Department of Public Health still heavily regulates and warns against the product and a bill to loosen that regulation has received little to no support in the General Assembly.

At the same time, Kennedy has scaled back his once-vociferous support for raw milk. Instead, he has since seemed to focus on promoting whole milk instead of raw milk. The USDA created an advertising campaign based around the hashtag “#DrinkWholeMilk.”

Because raw milk has not been heated or pasteurized to remove illness-causing organisms, Illinois imposes strict limitations on its sale to protect public health. Raw milk can only be purchased directly at state-regulated farms and cannot be sold at a grocery store.

Matt and Jenna Kilgus, of Kilgus Farms in Fairbury, began selling raw milk around the start of the COVID-19 pandemic when business was unpredictable. At first, the farm, located 70 miles east of Peoria, sold 30 to 40 gallons of raw milk a week. Now, they sell more than 800 gallons a week.

“It’s really started growing over the last five years,” Matt Kilgus said. “It’s just been a steady increase.”

State regulation, legislation

Further growth, however, will not be easy.

State Sen. Jil Tracy, R-Quincy, is trying to change that – though even she concedes that her bill, which has no cosponsors, is unlikely to advance.

Tracy’s Senate Bill 2702 aims to expand the market for raw milk and allow sales at, for example, a farmers’ market. It hasn’t been assigned to a committee since she introduced it in October. Previous efforts to deregulate raw milk have also drawn little support in past General Assemblies.

Tracy said she sought the regulatory changes after speaking with a farmer in her district who was struggling with the restrictions placed on selling raw milk. Tracy said she is aware of the health concerns around raw milk but believes it can be sold safely in Illinois, comparing its risk to that of other farm products like vegetables.

“There’s always risk in the food industry with hazards of illness, some kind of foodborne illness,’’ she said. “I certainly want every child or a person that would consume raw milk to be as safe as possible.”

The IDPH, echoing the findings of many other health advocates and organizations, warns that raw milk can be dangerous for consumers because it hasn’t been pasteurized. It has said there is no reason to believe, as some raw milk adherents do, that pasteurization decreases the nutritional value of milk.

Concerns about the safety of raw milk were amplified during a recent outbreak of Campylobacter infection in 11 people in Illinois that appeared to be connected to the consumption of raw milk. According to the Cleveland Clinic, symptoms of Campylobacter infection include diarrhea, stomach cramping, vomiting and fever. It can often be confused with food poisoning.

According to the USDA, raw milk consumption was linked to 3 deaths, 2,645 illnesses and 228 hospitalizations in the U.S. between 1998 and 2018.

In a recent news release, the director of the IDPH, Dr. Sameer Vohra, called pasteurization one of the greatest public health successes of the last century and encouraged people to think carefully before drinking raw milk. Vohra emphasized that young children, older people and individuals with chronic medical conditions should exercise extra caution.

Tracy said she doesn’t think her measure can pass without IDPH’s support.

Advocacy efforts

Advocates and some farmers claim raw milk has health benefits despite what professional research says. Kennedy has stated that he only drinks raw milk.

Terry Hoerbert of Little Brown Cow Dairy, located in Delavan, said that she hears about the alleged benefits from some of her customers. She said some with dairy allergies have told her they can drink raw milk without any allergic reactions.

“It’s been very rewarding to hear all the people say that they can now drink milk that they couldn’t used to,” she said.

Despite Kennedy’s stated support for raw milk, the U.S Food and Drug Administration’s website still maintains a page debunking claims related to raw milk’s effects on allergies and lactose intolerance, and warning that it is more dangerous than pasteurized milk.

To sell raw milk, farmers must get permits from IDPH. After that, the department will collect and test raw milk samples for bacteria and other issues on a routine basis. Additionally, a department representative will come to the farm and do an on-site inspection. As of early 2026, the IDPH reported 19 farms in the state that were fully certified to sell raw dairy.

Kilgus remains convinced that raw milk can be sold safely in Illinois.

“With the raw milk, there is a risk, but there are some standards in place that help minimize those,” Kilgus said.

Hoerbert, meanwhile, says there’s a business incentive to deliver a safe product. “Not taking care of the milk, not taking care of the cows … you’d be squandering your reputation,” she said. “Why would farmers want to do that?’’

Olivia Ardito is a graduate student in journalism with Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism, Media and Integrated Marketing Communications, and is a fellow in its Medill Illinois News Bureau working in partnership with Capitol News Illinois.

Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.

This article first appeared on Capitol News Illinois and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.