Liquid or Drinking Milk

Prior to the Industrial Revolution, most Europeans had access to local dairies where they could buy fresh raw milk. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, however, commercial farming methods were developed to accommodate the growing number of city-dwelling factory workers. The raw milk that was being carted or trained into the cities was not as fresh as it once was. Even worse, the milk was highly prone to transmitting disease. The process of pasteurization was invented to control this risk. With modern refrigeration and sanitation, raw milk is again available (except in much of North America), but its sale is strictly controlled through legislated guidelines.