Raw milk proponents push for fewer restrictions on Illinois sales
despite state health warnings
[March 24, 2026]
By Olivia Ardito and Medill Illinois News Bureau
SPRINGFIELD – 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.
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Cows on the Little Brown Cow Dairy farm in Delavan. (Provided by
Terry Hoerbert, Little Brown Cow Dairy)
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. |
