He profits off raw milk that’s making people sick. The government isn’t stopping him.

Key Points:

• Mark McAfee, founder of Raw Farm, operates the largest raw-milk dairy in the U.S., generating about $30 million annually despite scientific consensus that raw milk poses significant health risks, including foodborne illnesses like salmonella and E. coli.
• Raw Farm has been linked to multiple outbreaks and recalls since 2006, sickening over 230 people, including children, yet has largely avoided severe regulatory penalties, partly due to political shifts and support from figures like Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
• McAfee defends raw milk's safety and health benefits, claiming rigorous pathogen testing and disputing outbreak data, while continuing controversial practices such as using pathogen-positive milk for cheese production, a practice the FDA has told the farm to stop.
• Political and cultural factors, including wellness trends and distrust of government and big industries, have propelled raw milk into mainstream consumption, with over 10 million Americans drinking it and national sales rising sharply from 2023 to 2024.
• Efforts to regulate raw milk face challenges, as legislation like the proposed Interstate Milk Freedom Act seeks to ease federal restrictions, reflecting ongoing debates about consumer choice versus public health risks.