Raw milk sales for human consumption are prohibited in the District of Columbia, which follows federal food safety standards. No farm-direct or retail pathway exists.
The sale of raw milk for human consumption is prohibited in the District of Columbia. The District's food safety regulations follow federal standards under D.C. Official Code §§48-101 et seq. and associated regulations of the D.C. Department of Health, which require pasteurization for all milk sold for human consumption. No farm-direct, herdshare, or retail licensing pathway for raw milk has been established in the District. As a federal district rather than a state, the D.C. Council operates under different constitutional constraints than state legislatures and has not enacted food sovereignty provisions that would create an alternative pathway.
Washington D.C. consumers seeking raw milk primarily access Pennsylvania's licensed retail stores, which stock raw milk in health food stores and grocery outlets less than two hours away, or Virginia's licensed herdshare program. The District's densely urban character means there are no farm operations within the District itself; all raw milk access must come from outside the District's borders. D.C.'s regulatory environment reflects both federal influence and the urban public health priorities of the Department of Health, neither of which has generated significant pressure toward raw milk access.
Official government documents and legal resources for District of Columbia
District of Columbia food safety statutes and regulations administered by the DC Department of Health, under which pasteurization is required for all milk sold for human consumption.
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