RFK Jr.’s support for raw milk falls short, says Fresno County dairy farmer
Fresno County raw milk dairy farmer Mark McAfee is feeling let down by one of his best known and loyal customers, Robert Kennedy Jr., secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
McAfee was anticipating that once Kennedy was selected as the new HHS secretary he would work toward making raw milk available to all consumers in the United States.
That could still happen, just not in the immediate future. And not soon enough for McAfee, who has been preparing to help the FDA create new policies and practices.
McAfee, founder of Raw Farm, one of the leading raw milk dairies in the U.S., said a member of Kennedy’s staff reached out to him in January, urging him to apply for a possible role in reshaping raw milk regulations.
He submitted several proposals that Kennedy requested, but when McAfee asked recently to meet with top FDA officials, he was told to hold off.
“Thank you, Mr. McAfee, for reaching out and for your interest in furthering the agency’s mission to protect public health,” wrote Donald A. Prater, DVM, principal deputy director of the Human Foods Program at the FDA in a letter McAfee. “Given our need to balance agency priorities, the Human Foods Program respectfully declines your request for a meeting at this time, though we remain open to dialogue with the raw milk industry.”
When asked about HHS’s plans for raw milk, a spokesperson replied: “Secretary Kennedy supports informed choice and full transparency in food policy, affirming that Americans have the right to decide what they consume. HHS remains committed to ensuring that all regulatory decisions are grounded in gold-standard science.”
McAffee is frustrated that federal officials rejected his request for a meeting.
“It’s disappointing, it really is and not just for me but for a whole lot of customers it’s disappointing to them too,” McAffee said. “ Raw milk is not a priority on the current agenda.”
McAfee said what stings the most is that raw milk drinkers were part of the Make America Healthy Again movement that helped push Kennedy’s nomination through Congress. They believed he would change the rules on raw milk.
“And now they are not even going to meet with you or talk to you,” McAfee said. “That’s a bait and switch and that is really quite sad.”
Raw milk supporters, like Kaycee VanderMeulen of Madera, share McAfee’s frustration.
VanderMeulen credits raw milk with helping correct several autoimmune diseases and said it’s a shame it isn’t available to anyone who wants it.
“I think it is insanity that raw milk is not available on grocery stores shelves everywhere,” she said. “You look at the amount of toxic, processed foods in the stores and they have a hard stop on raw milk. That doesn’t make sense.”
Despite it’s popularity, raw milk is still considered by most scientists and health experts as unsafe to drink.
Currently, the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, two agencies under the domain of HHS, warn consumers that raw milk is not pasteurized and could contain dangerous pathogens such as salmonella, E. coli, and listeria, that could cause severe illnesses.
Still, Kennedy is among those who believes drinking raw milk is healthier than pasteurized milk. To show his support, he celebrated the release of his Make America Health Again report in May with raw milk shooters at the White House.
To hardliners like McAfee, the move was more symbolic than anything.
“We are all disappointed that RFK is just a consumer of raw milk and not the warrior and advocate that he said he was,” McAfee said.
This story was originally published July 20, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
