Raw = unpasteurized. That's it. Everyone claims it's "better" but that's likely mostly a reflection of freshness since anyone drinking raw milk these days is

Raw = unpasteurized. That's it. Everyone claims it's "better" but that's likely mostly a reflection of freshness since anyone drinking raw milk these days is likely at the end of a very short supply chain. From a public health perspective yeah pasteurized milk is obviously superior but it's one of those redundancy things that isn't necessary if every party from tit to mouth gives a crap. Farmer isn't gonna sell you crap if he can help it. You're not gonna drink crap if you listen to your nose. Where it gets tricky is when there's a bunch of potential middle men moving a bunch of product who could potentially risk it moving some questionable stuff around and plausibly dodge blame or adulterate the product so it's not obvious that it's bad. Both of which were a problem 100yr ago which is why we have standard pasteurization today. Personally I think with modern robust supply chains there could be a place for raw milk in the market but it sure would be expensive after accounting for the extra QC one would need to drink it right. And this is coming from someone who drinks ultra pasteurized lactose free because it lasts the longest.