Louisiana Raw Milk Laws & Regulations

Louisiana moved from prohibition to a legal farm-direct market in 2024, and did so with unusual political consensus: the enabling bill passed the House 94 to 0.

Is raw milk legal in Louisiana?

Yes, since 1 August 2024. House Bill 467, introduced by Representative Kimberly Coates, authorises farmers to sell unpasteurized cow and goat milk, and raw milk cheese, directly to consumers at the farm. Producers register through the state and meet labelling requirements and sanitary standards, with sales capped at an average of 500 gallons per month.

How the framework is structured

Louisiana's route has a distinctive feature worth understanding before visiting a farm. To secure passage, legislators structured the law so that producers register under the state's commercial feed licence and the product is labelled other than for human consumption. Several other states use the same drafting device. The practical effect is that the sale itself is lawful and open, and what a buyer does with the milk afterwards is their own decision.

Where to buy

Purchase is at the registered farm. Producers are concentrated in the Florida Parishes, central and north Louisiana, and the areas within reach of Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Shreveport and the Northshore, with goat dairying well represented alongside cow herds. Because the market is young, the number of registered farms is still growing and the 2024 law gave producers a clear path to enter it. Raw milk cheese made under the same authority is an additional option. For the federal framework, see the United States raw milk laws overview.