Written by DCist Contributor Stephanie Taylor

Douglas Powell, a food scientist at Kansas State University, told the Atlanta Journal Constitution that consumers who seek raw milk are just part of a trend embraced by an affluent, food-obsessed culture. Whether you think affluence is part of the question or not, there are a growing number of Washingtonians who are doing just that, and they have organized themselves to bring un-pasteurized milk to the District, despite having to skirt various laws in order to do so.

This lactic contraband is milk that has not been pasteurized (to kill bacteria) or homogenized (to prevent the separation of butterfat in the milk). The kind purveyed in underground markets generally come from hormone and antibiotic-free cows that have been fed green grass in the summer, spring and fall and other natural products in the winter. Raw milk is currently the subject of controversy around America, with heated advocates on both sides of the debate.

Here in the District, raw milk proponents have gotten organized.

Photo by christaki.