Got raw milk? Bill to allow raw milk sales in Colorado passes committee
A bill that would legalize raw milk sales in Colorado moved forward on Thursday after a legislative committee gave unanimous approval to the measure.
The bill, approved by the Senate Agriculture & Natural Resources committee, doesn’t allow unpasteurized milk to be sold in grocery stores. Sales would have to take place where the milk was produced: at the consumer’s residence or at a farmers or roadside market.
A raw milk seller would have to be registered with the Department of Public Health and Environment and meet certain handling and labeling requirements to be permitted to legally sell the product.
The bill was modeled after similar legislation in states like Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska, Kansas, and Texas, said Sen. Dylan Roberts, D-Frisco, a sponsor of the bill, during the hearing.
“Colorado right now is one of the most restrictive states in the nation when it comes to the allowability of raw milk to be either distributed or sold,” he said.
Senate Bill 43 is also sponsored by House Speaker Julie McCluskie, D-Dillon, and Sen. Byron Pelton, R-Sterling.
Supporters of drinking raw milk say there are nutrients and enzymes in the milk that are destroyed during the pasteurization process, which is when milk is heated to a certain temperature and duration to kill bacteria.
The Federal Drug Administration has said it’s a myth that pasteurizing milk reduces its nutritional value, and that raw milk can carry dangerous bacteria like salmonella, E. coli, listeria, campylobacter, and others that cause foodborne illness.
During the hearing, Pelton said he grew up drinking raw milk, but he knows it can be dangerous, and that labeling it is important.
“I know I’ve had family members who have been sick from raw milk before,” he said.
The bill details some handling requirements, including the temperature the milk must be kept at and requirements for marking the date the milk was packaged.
The state department of public health would develop further rules on the safe handling of the milk if the bill is approved. Anyone who violates those rules and the ones laid out in the bill could be subject to a $1,000 fine. Several dairy producers testifying during the committee hearing said they felt it was too high and expressed concern over how those rules would be developed.
During the amendment phase of the hearing, Roberts asked that the bill be changed to reduce that fine to $500.
The Water Resources and Agriculture Review Committee, which meets year-round and is made up of both state senators and representatives, approved the bill for introduction in October.
The bill comes as part of a growing “food freedom” movement, which also includes other farm-to-table initiatives.
Gov. Jared Polis has said he’s supportive of the measure, saying it’s a health decision people should be able to make for themself.
“Compared to many other choices that are fully-legal, including fatty foods and excess alcohol, the risk of raw milk is low,” he said in a statement through a spokesperson.
The bill would cost the Colorado Department of Agriculture about $108,000 in the 2024-2025 fiscal year and $126,000 in future years with funds coming from the general fund, according to a fiscal note prepared by nonpartisan legislative staff members.
The bill will next be seen by the Senate Appropriations Committee.
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