For years now, the sale of raw unpasteurized dairy and dairy products has been banned in Alabama. So that small homesteaders and ranchers can not sell their excess raw milk and people looking for raw dairy can not purchase it, unless it's labeled for "pet food". Many people only have access to raw milk through farmers because they can not maintain a dairy animal, such as a cow, goat, or sheep. Some people have issues digesting pasteurized dairy because of what the pasteurization and homogenization processes do to the fat modules, enzymes, and proteins in the milk. Many Alabamaians want these laws to be changed, giving us the choice to buy or sell raw dairy products like milk, yogurt, butter, and more. 

What's at stake? Our Freedom of Choice

Adults are given the choice to purchase things that are proven to be harmful to the human body like tobacco products, vapes, alcohol, carcinogenic processed foods, and more. Why shouldn't people also have the choice to purchase products that will nourish their bodies? Raw dairy has been consumed, sold, and traded for thousands of years, why should that right be taken from us now? People want the right to choose what we put into our bodies. We are marketed GMO foods, cancer-causing foods, pesticide covered foods, and more. Why shouldn't people retain the right to choose natural unprocessed foods like dairy that sustained our ancestors for thousands of years? 

Why is now the right time to change these laws? 

There are a couple of reasons right now is the time to change these laws.

The first being that our neighboring states Georgia and Tennessee have both passed laws that legalize ways for people to distribute and obtain raw dairy. On July 1st, 2023 Georgia legalized the sale of raw milk in their state. In 2019, Tennessee legalized "cow shares" which allow people to buy a share of a dairy herd from a farmer and recieve milk every week in exchange for their maintenance fee's. In addition, 30+ other states allow for the sale of raw dairy or for the operation of herdshares. 

The second reason is that, at the moment, our country is seeing a large shift towards whole natural foods like raw dairy. People are more interested learning about farming, where their food comes from, and what is in their food. People want to have access to real natural food that is not GMO, not processed, and not fake. 

So please,  sign this petition and give Alabama the right to choose raw dairy!