Raw Milk Safety: Addressing TB Concerns with Facts

January 30, 2025

Dear Valued Customers,

We understand that recent reports of a human tuberculosis (TB) outbreak in Kansas City, KS, have raised concerns about the safety of consuming raw milk. We want to assure you that we are committed to providing you with safe, high-quality products and to address any questions you may have.

To that end, we would like to provide you with a brief science and history lesson on TB so that you can rest assured that your risk of contracting TB from our raw milk is pretty much non-existent. 🙂

Bovine Tuberculosis (bTB) in the United States

Bovine tuberculosis, caused by Mycobacterium bovis (M. bovis), has been mostly eradicated from cattle in the United States due to rigorous disease control programs. Both Missouri and Kansas have been classified as “TB-Free States” for bovine tuberculosis (bTB) for many years by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) 

Historical Prevalence of M. bovis in Humans

When news outlets warn that TB can be contracted through raw milk, they’re referring to outbreaks from the early 20th century.

Before the widespread eradication of M. bovis in cattle, consuming contaminated raw milk was a major cause of tuberculosis (TB) in humans.

In the early 20th century, M. bovis was responsible for 10–30% of all human TB cases in some regions, primarily due to the consumption of unpasteurized dairy products. Children were particularly vulnerable because they drank more milk than adults. The infection typically caused extrapulmonary TB, often affecting the lymph nodes, bones, and intestines rather than the lungs.

Impact of Eradication Programs

From the 1920s to the 1950s, many countries, including the U.S., launched aggressive bovine TB eradication programs involving testing, culling infected cattle, and pasteurizing milk. By the 1960s, human cases of M. bovis TB had dropped significantly. Today, in the U.S., M. bovis accounts for less than 2% of all TB cases in humans, with most cases occurring in people who consume unpasteurized dairy from countries where bovine TB is still present.

Current Risk in the U.S.

Due to the success of eradication programs, bovine TB in cattle is now extremely rare in the U.S. The few human cases that do occur are often linked to imported dairy products, not domestic raw milk. The current risk of contracting M. bovis from raw milk in the U.S. is exceptionally low due to rigorous disease control measures.

Today, the current risk of contracting M. bovis from raw milk in the U.S. is exceptionally low due to rigorous disease control measures.

THE CURRENT TB OUTBREAK IN KANSAS IS NOT FROM M. bovis!

Let’s talk about the strain currently being spread in Kansas. It’s not the same strain that cattle get.

Human-to-Human Transmission

The type of tuberculosis that humans generally get today (and is being spread in Kansas currently) is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis)—which is different from M. bovis.

M. tuberculosis is transmitted from person to person through airborne droplets when an infected person coughs, sneezes, or talks. M. tuberculosis is rarely transmitted to or from animals.

Human-to-Cattle Transmission

While human-to-cattle transmission of TB is possible, it is exceedingly rare. Since 2013, there have been only three probable cases of such transmission globally, and occurred in environments where there were close, prolonged interactions between infected humans and cattle (such as in research settings or with farm workers with active tuberculosis).

Human-to-Cattle-to Human Transmission

There has not been a single documented case of a cow contracting M. tuberculosis from a human and then transmitting it to humans through milk.

As ChatGPT says, “Transmission of human TB (caused by M. tuberculosis) through raw milk from infected cows to humans would be a highly unlikely scenario. While it is possible for a cow to acquire human TB, the milk would not necessarily be infectious unless the cow had active tuberculosis of the udder or lymph nodes, which is a rare condition.”

Our Farm’s Practices

All of our cows originate from TB-free states with no reported cases of bTB for many years. Our farm personnel, who are the only individuals in contact with our cattle, adhere to strict health protocols and do not frequent areas affected by the current human TB outbreak.

So even if it were possible that a cow could get M. tuberculosis from a human and then spread it back to humans through its raw milk (which is highly unlikely), the likelihood that our cows would come in contact with an infected human and contract M. tuberculosis is virtually zero.

Commitment to Your Safety

While public health agencies and the media often advise against consuming unpasteurized dairy products, we firmly believe that with proper herd management and hygiene practices, raw milk can be produced safely.

We feel confident in saying that your risk of contracting TB from drinking our raw milk is virtually non-existent.

We are dedicated to ensuring the health of our animals and the safety of our milk. Our herd undergoes regular health screenings, and we implement stringent hygiene practices during milking and processing.

If you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. Your trust is of utmost importance to us.

Your farmers,
Rachel and Scott Moser
816-379-6455