Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos
Milk
References & Edit History Related Topics
Images, Videos & Interactives
Milk splashing out of a clear glass against a blue background, with droplets suspended in midair. Pasteurization of Milk Holstein dairy cow Ayrshire cow. Guernsey cow. Brown Swiss cow. Jersey cow. Portrait of a Nigerian dwarf goat facing forward with blue eyes clearly visible, set against a blurred green background. La Mancha goat. A girl milking a goat.
Britannica AI Icon

Assessment quiz

in

Milk

Written and fact-checked by
The Editors of ProCon
ProCon's editors write and verify new content and update existing content. ProCon presents the pro and con arguments to debatable issues in a straightforward, nonpartisan, freely accessible way.
The Editors of ProCon
History

After reading the above debate, take our assessment quiz to test your knowledge of this issue. Good luck!

1-minute survey

After reading this debate, take our quick survey to see how this information affected your opinion of this topic. We appreciate your feedback.

Discussion questions

  1. Should humans consume dairy milk? Explain your answer(s).
  2. Because humans do consume dairy milk, how should we mitigate the environmental consequences? Or, do you believe the environmental effects to be an acceptable trade-off for producing milk? Explain your answer(s)
  3. Research the diet of another culture or country. How does it differ from your own? Do they consume dairy? What foods provide their essential nutrients? Reflect on your answers.
  4. What questions do you have after reading the debate above? Where might you find answers?
  5. What was the most interesting thing you learned from this debate?
  6. Consider how you felt about the issue before reading this article. After reading the pros and cons on this topic, has your thinking changed? How and why?. If your thoughts have not changed, explain how and why you better understand the other side of the debate.
  7. Push for the position and policies you support by writing local officials, U.S. senators and representatives, or other people in a position to make the change you champion.

Sources

  1. Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Milk" (June 15, 2021), britannica.com
  2. Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, “Dairy Products" (accessed April 27, 2022), fao.org
  3. Richard P. Evershed, et al., “Earliest Date for Milk Use in the Near East and Southeastern Europe Linked to Cattle Herding" (August 6, 2008), nature.com
  4. David K. Bandler and R. Paul Singh, “Dairy Products" (April 8, 2021), britannica.com
  5. Pauline Osena, “Top 10 Surprising Foods That Contain Dairy" (September 26, 2016), huffpost.com
  6. Kurt Suchman, “Wait, Are Eggs Dairy?" (April 21, 2021), food52.com
  7. Amber Charles, “Pasteurized vs. Unpasteurized Foods: What’s the Difference?" (March 18, 2022), healthline.com
  8. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Pasteurization" (May 4, 2021), britannica.com
  9. The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, “Homogenization" (April 20, 2021), britannica.com
  10. ProCon.org, “Raw Milk Laws State-by-State" (February 2, 2018), milk.procon.org
  11. Matt Hale, “Exploring the Growth of Plant-Based Milk" (September 23, 2021), foodmanufacturing.com
  12. USDA, “Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2025-2030" (January 2026), fns.usda.gov
  13. National Dairy Council, “13 Ways Milk Can Help Your Body" (2021), usdairy.com
  14. USDA, “My Plate: Dairy" (accessed February 11, 2026), myplate.gov
  15. Stephanie Brown, “USDA Recommends 3 Cups of Dairy Per Day. Is It Too Much?" (November 12, 2021), verywellhealth.com
  16. Jill Riepenhoff, et al., “Deserted: Access to Healthy, Fresh and Affordable Foods Is Elusive for Millions Who Live in Rural America" (June 14, 2021), ky3.com
  17. William A. Masters and Anna Herforth, “3 Billion People Cannot Afford a Healthy Diet" (July 9, 2021), theconversation.com
  18. National Institutes of Health Institute on Aging, “Healthy Eating As You Age: Know Your Food Groups" (February 25, 2022), nia.nih.gov
  19. Mahshid Dehghan, et al., “Association of Dairy Intake with Cardiovascular Disease and Mortality in 21 Countries from Five Continents (Pure): A Prospective Cohort Study" (November 24, 2018), thelancet.com
  20. Sophie Putka, “Is Milk Bad for You? Here’s What the Science Says,” (January 26, 2021), discovermagazine.com
  21. Emiko Terazono in London and Camilla Hodgson, “How Methane-Producing Cows Leapt to the Frontline of Climate Change" (October 10, 2021), ft.com
  22. Kat Smith, “Is Cheese Worse for the Planet Than Beef?" (accessed May 4, 2022), livekindly.com
  23. Emily Lombardo, “Some Less than Brie-lliant News…" (May 18, 2021), thecapture.club
  24. Tanya Lewis, “The Top 10 Foods with the Biggest Environmental Footprint" (September 19, 2015), businessinsider.com
  25. Samuel Webb, “Is Dairy or Meat Worse for the Environment?" (October 30, 2021), independent.co.uk
  26. Hannah Ritchie, “Dairy vs. Plant-Based Milk: What Are the Environmental Impacts?" (January 19, 2022), ourworldindata.org
  27. Straus Family Creamery, “History of the Cow” ( accessed October 23, 2007), strausfamilycreamery.com
  28. Harvard Health Publishing, “The Sweet Danger of Sugar" (January 6, 2022), health.harvard.edu
  29. Brenda Goodman, “Rethinking Milk: Science Takes On the Dairy Dilemma" (February 14, 2020), webmd.com
  30. Congressional Research Service (CRS), “Animal Waste and Water Quality: EPA’s Response to the Waterkeeper Alliance Court Decision on Regulation of CAFOs" (September 20, 2006), everycrsreport.com
  31. Congressional Research Service (CRS), “Food Biotechnology in the United States: Science, Regulation, and Issues" (January 19, 2001), everycrsreport.com
  32. Douglas H. Goff, “Clarification and Cream Separation" (accessed August 18, 2008), foodsci.uoguelph.ca
  33. The Family Farm Project, “Farm School: Time to Milk" (accessed September 28, 2007), familyfarmproject.com
  34. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), “Livestocks Long Shadow: Environmental Issues and Options” (2006), fao.org
  35. Parmalat Australia Ltd., “Student Info: How Milk is Made" (accessed September 28, 2007), parmalat.com
  36. USDA, “2019 Milk Production" (February 2020), fmmacentral.com
  37. USDA, “Farm Milk Production" (November 12, 2019), ers.usda.gov
  38. USDA, “Milk Production" (March 19, 2020), usda.gov
  39. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, “Food Sources of Calcium" (2019), dietaryguidelines.gov
  40. National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements, “Calcium" (June 2, 2022), ods.od.nih.gov
  41. Elizabeth Eckelkamp, “America’s Dairy Farms Are Disappearing, Down 95% Since the 1970s − Milk Price Rules Are One Reason Why” (September 16, 2024), theconversation.com
  42. Justin Stebbing, “Why a Daily Glass of Milk Really Could Reduce Bowel Cancer Risk - An Oncologist Explains” (January 14, 2025), theconversation.com
  43. Discovery, “Early Brits Were Original Cheeseheads” (October 10, 2006), dsc.discovery.com
  44. BBC, “Early Man ’Couldn’t Stomach Milk’” (accessed October 30, 2007), bbc.co.uk
  45. Karen Rhea Nemet-Nejat, Daily Life In Ancient Mesopotamia (2002)
  46. Ron Schmid, The Untold Story of Milk: Green Pastures, Contented Cows and Raw Dairy Products (2003)
  47. Reay Tannahill, Food in History (1973)
  48. Plymouth Archaeological Rediscovery Project, "Livestock in Plymouth Colony" (accessed July 9, 2025), plymoutharch.tripod.com
  49. Robert L. Santos, "Dairying in California through 1910” (Summer 1994), Southern California Quarterly, jstor.com
  50. National Library of Medicine, “Smallpox A Great and Terrible Scourge" (October 18, 2002), nlm.nih.gov
  51. Raw Milk Facts, “Distillery Dairies, Deadly Milk” (June 21, 2012), raw-milk-facts.com
  52. BBC, "Louis Pasteur (1822-1895)" (accessed July 11, 2013) bbc.co.uk
  53. New York Times, “On This Day: March 31, 1883” (accessed July 11, 2013), nytimes.com
  54. "Milk," How Products Are Made (accessed October 22, 2007), madehow.com
  55. Raw Milk Facts, “A Brief History of Raw Milk” (accessed July 11, 2013), raw-milk.facts.com
  56. International Dairy Foods Association, “Important Dates in Milk History" (accessed October 8, 2007), idfa.org
  57. Dairy Heritage, "History” (accessed October 8, 2007), dairyheritage.com
  58. New York Times, "Bad Milk Causes Typhoid" (September 19, 1913), nytimes.com
  59. Capper-Volstead Act (February 18, 1922)
  60. New York Times, “4 Shot in Milk War on Sioux City Road" (February 4, 1933), nytimes.com
  61. "Milk Marketing Order Reform: Watered Down or Real?" (January 20, 1998)
  62. Time, "Milk Without Honey" (August 28, 1939), time.com
  63. USDA, "The National School Lunch Program Background and Development" (accessed October 17, 2007), usda.gov
  64. Broward County, "A Brief Overview of the WPA" (accessed October 16, 2007), broward.org
  65. Doug Gisi’, "Wax Milk Containers" (accessed October 10, 2007), dairyantiques.com
  66. School Nutirition Association, "Program History & Data" (accessed October 17, 2007), schoolnutrition.org
  67. USDA, “National Dairy Promotion & Research Program: Overview, Structure, and History" (accessed October 16, 2007), usda.gov
  68. 1990 Fluid Milk Promotion Act
  69. USDA, "Using The Food Guide Pyramid: A Resource for Nutrition Educators" (1992), usda.gov
  70. Got Milk?, “About the CMPB" (accessed October 16, 2007), gotmilk.com
  71. FDA, "BST Update: First Year Experience Reports" (March 14, 1995), fda.gov
  72. Keith Schneider, "Grocers Challenge Use of New Drug for Milk Output" (February 4, 1994), nytimes.com
  73. FDA, "Food and Drug Administration Interim Guidance on the Voluntary Labeling of Milk and Milk Products From Cows That Have Not Been Treated with Recombinant Bovine Somatotropin" (February 10, 1994), fda.gov
  74. Dairy Checkoff, "History of Dairy Promotion" (accessed October 16, 2007), dairycheckoff.com
  75. “Delivering ‘Got Milk?’ Message to Kids” (May 1998)
  76. D Feskanich, et al., “Milk, Dietary Calcium, and Bone Fractures in Women: A 12-Year Prospective Study" (June 1997), American Journal of Public Health, pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  77. Weston A. Price Foundation, "Real Milk” (accessed October 22, 2007), westonaprice.org
  78. Dean Foods, "A Brief History of the New Dean Foods Company" (accessed October 22, 2007), deanfoods.com
  79. PETA, "PETA Sues the California Milk Board for False Advertising” (accessed October 17, 2007), peta.org
  80. USDA, “United States Department of Agriculture USDA Report to Congress on the National Dairy Promotion and Research Program and the National Fluid Milk Processor Promotion Program, USDA/Economic Research Service" (July 1, 2005), usda.gov
  81. Kim Severson, "An Organic Cash Cow" (November 9, 2005), nytimes.com
  82. United States Department of Agriculture, "2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans,” (2005), usda.gov
  83. "PCRM Files Class-Action Lawsuit Against Dairy Industry" (accessed October 17, 2007), pcrm.org
  84. "Got Milk? Got Beer!" (February 13, 2007), reuters.com
  85. PCRM Complaint, April 21, 2005
  86. FTC Response to PCRM, May 3, 2007
  87. PCRM Lawsuit, 2007
  88. USDA Notice of Proposed Revocation (April 16, 2007)
  89. Cornucopia Institute Lawsuits Announced Against Nation’s Biggest Organic Dairy" (accessed October 23, 2007), cornucopia.org
  90. Monsanto Complaint to FTC (February 2007)
  91. FTC Response to Monsanto (August 21, 2001)
  92. Tania Branigan,” China to Execute Two Over Poisoned Baby Milk Scandal" (January 22, 2009), theguardian.com
  93. FDA, “FDA Issues Documents on the Safety of Food From Cloned Animals" (January 15, 2008), fda.gov
  94. Stuart Pfeifer and P.J. Huffstutter, "3 Arrested on Raw-Milk Charges" (August 4, 2011), latimes.com
  95. LA County Prosecutor Felony Complaint for Arrest Warrant, June 30, 2011
  96. CDC "Nonpasteurized Dairy Products, Disease Outbreaks, and State Laws - United States, 1993-1996" (March 2012), cdc.gov
  97. E.J. Schultz, “‘Got Milk’ Dropped as National Milk Industry Changes Tactics" (February 24, 2014), adage.com
  98. Mintel, "US Sales of Dairy Milk Turn Sour as Non-Dairy Milk Sales Grow 9% in 2015” (April 20, 2016), mintel.com
  99. Esther Han and Consumer Affairs Editor, “‘Cold-Pressed Raw Milk’ Method Wins Regulatory Approval “ (June 1, 2016),watoday.com.au
  100. Ashley Strickland, "Prehistoric Baby Bottles Still Have Milk Residue Inside" (September 25, 2019), cnn.com
  101. Chris Isidore, "One of America’s Oldest and Largest Milk Producers Files for Bankruptcy” (January 6, 2020), cnn.com
  102. Danielle Wiener-Bronner, "Why Dairy Farmers across America Are Dumping Their Milk" (April 15, 2020), cnn.com
  103. Vaughn Hillyard, Maura Barrett, and Matt Wargo, "Dairy Farmers Forced to Dump Milk as Demand Drops amid Coronavirus Closures" (April 13, 2020), nbcnews.com
  104. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, “The Dangers of Raw Milk: Unpasteurized Milk Can Pose a Serious Health Risk,” (accessed October 19, 2025), fda.gov
  105. YouGov, “What Kind of Milk Do You Drink Most Often?” (May 16, 2019), today.yougov.com
  106. Jenna Smith, “Understand the Difference Between Evaporated and Sweetened Condensed Milk,” (November 17, 2023), extension.illinois.edu
  107. USDA, “Dairy - Background” (January 29, 2026), ers.usda.go
  108. Linda Qiu, “Trump Signs Bill Allowing Schools to Serve Whole Milk Again” (January 14, 2026), nytimes.com
  109. Alice Callahan and Dani Blum, “Kennedy Flips Food Pyramid to Emphasize Red Meat and Whole Milk” (January 7, 2026), nytimes.com