Why Raw?

Below is a quick reference guide from RAW • USA clarifying many of the major distinctions between Conventional, USDA Organic, and RAW USA dairy practices.

PRODUCTION PRACTICES
CONVENTIONAL	USDA CERTIFIED ORGANIC	RAW USA CERTIFIED
HTST pasteurized	HTST pasteurized and UHT 282 degrees pasteurized	Never pasteurized or heated above 102 degrees.
Homogenized	Homogenized (few exceptions)	Never homogenized
Standardized	Standardized	Never standardized
Additives and preservatives	Additives for butter fat, protein and vitamins	Nothing added
Hormones	None permitted	None permitted or needed
Antibiotics	None permitted	None permitted or needed
Zero pasture	May have zero pasture under USDA rules	Always have access to pasture
Piles of manure	Piles of manure	None created due to pasture access
Concrete and steel environments	Concrete and steel environments	Little if any artificial environment
Short life span for cows	Longer life span but may be retired to factory farm	Live four times longer or more
Artifical breeding	Articial breeding	Bull bred naturally
Factory farmed	May be factory farmed	Smaller family or sustainable farm operations
GMO feeds	No GMOs	No GMOS
Artificial food byproducts/plastics	Anything as long as it's organic (i.e. organic donuts ok)	Only natural feeds that the cow would choose in nature
Unnatural feeds like soy and cotton seed	Unnatural feeds as long as certified organic, including soy, etc.	Only natural feeds; never soy or cotton seed
Heavy use of pesticides	Only organic pesticides utilized	No pesticides used
NUTRITION
CONVENTIONAL	USDA ORGANIC	RAW USA CERTIFIED
Processing causes lactose intolerance	Processing causes lactose intolerance	Lactose intolerance not a factor
Missing enzymes cause many other digestion challenges	Missing enzymes cause many other digestion challenges	All enzymes active
Missing beneficial bacteria weaken the immune system	Missing beneficial bacteria weaken the immune system	Biodiverse living bacteria
Antibiotics create pathogen development	No antibiotics permitted	No antibiotics permitted
Antibitoics can cause allergies in sensitive consumers	No antibiotics permitted	No antibiotics permitted
Hormones may increase cancer risk	No hormones permitted	No hormones permitted
Poor fatty acid rations omega 3-6	Depending on pasture access may have good ratios but may be damaged by processing	Beneficial fatty acid ratios maximized by pasture grazing
Zero CLA values	Depending on pasture access may have good ratios but may be damaged by processing	High CLA values
Hyperallergenic	Hyperallergenic	Hypoallergenic
FOOD SAFETY
CONVENTIONAL	USDA ORGANIC	RAW USA CERTIFIED
Human pathogens present in raw milk 31% of the time	Pathogens generally not associated with organic raw milk	Pathogens have never been found in RAW USA samples
Pasteurization destroys safety systems	Pasteurization destroys safety systems in raw organic milk	Natural safety systems in raw milk destroy pathogens
Large scale creamery contaminations could cause massive foodborne outbreaks	Large scale creamery contaminations could cause massive foodborne outbreaks	Outbreak, if it occured, would be contained because of smaller operations
Emerging pathogens created by over use of antibiotics	No emerging pathogens created by antibiotics but may be created by heat-resistant bacteria in factories, and improper use of sanitizers	No emerging pathogens created
HISTORICAL
CONVENTIONAL	USDA ORGANIC	RAW USA CERTIFIED
System has been designed for economy, compromising natural purity and wholesome qualities of milk	Well-intentioned concept has been taken over by factory farms resulting in highly processed mass-market product	Uses natural science as the basis for purity and safety. Product remains whole and safe, as nature intended.
Unsafe factory farm practices of the past are now exacerbated due to antibiotics and hormones, high grain, and no pasture	After factory farm interests took over the USDA organic program, pasture access is no longer required	Not influenced by factory farming practices. Historic natural methods successfully combined with leading edge testing. Year-round pasture access crucial to operations.
Accountable to FDA inspectors during limited times	Accountable to FDA and USDA Organic inspectors during limited times	Accountable to government, community, and end consumer. Anyone may review the lab tests at any time, tour and photograph the farm, and complete and publicize RAWUSA.org checklists.