Unpasteurized Juice Vs. Pasteurized Juice
When it comes to raw juice versus pasteurized juice, the information out there can be overwhelming.
As a holistic nutritionist who embraces a raw diet, one of the most common questions I hear is: “Is drinking unpasteurized juice safe?”
An understandable question, considering the warning labels required to be on such products in the United States.
But the simple answer is yes—absolutely, as long as proper food safety practices are in place, drinking raw juice is not only safe but also incredibly beneficial.
Let’s take a closer look...
Is It Safe To Drink Unpasteurized Juice?
When prepared and handled with the highest standards, raw juice is not only safe but also incredibly beneficial for your health.
The concern around unpasteurized products typically stems from the potential presence of harmful bacteria. However, at Raw Generation, we use cold-pressing and flash-freezing methods that are designed to mitigate this risk while also retaining the maximum nutritional value and flavor.
Cold-pressing involves extracting juice without the heat that traditional pasteurization methods use. This is key because heat can degrade essential nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. By skipping the pasteurization process and opting for cold-pressing, our juices maintain their raw, vibrant, and enzyme-rich profile—exactly what your body needs to thrive.
Immediately after pressing, all juices are flash-frozen. This rapid freezing process acts as a natural preservative, effectively halting the growth of any potential bacteria and locking in the juice's freshness. When you're ready to enjoy your juice, simply thaw and drink, knowing that each sip is packed with live nutrients and is as safe as it is nourishing.
We take pride in our rigorous quality control processes. Each batch of juice undergoes strict testing to ensure that it meets our high standards for both safety and quality. From meticulous preparation methods to our state-of-the-art freezing technology, we’re committed to providing you with a product that supports your health without compromising on safety.
Pasteurization
Let’s dive into some history first...So, what is this process of pasteurization?
Pasteurization is a process that uses high temperatures to minimize outbreaks of foodborne illness. While pasteurization is highly recommended by the u.s. food and Drug Administration for both dairy products and juice products, it originally was intended for wine. And there is a reason they stopped pasteurizing wine. Because it negatively impacted the quality and the taste of it.
So, what does juice have to do with wine? For one, juice that is heat treated, like wine, loses nutrients. So these nutrients (fortified vitamins) must be re-added to make up for the lack. This heat process also impacts taste negatively, so refined added sugars as well as synthetic chemical flavorings must be added to make up for it.
So now a once healthy juice made from fresh fruits or veggies quickly becomes a very unhealthy one. And when you think about young children and how normalized these junky additives have become, especially in regards to sugary apple juices and orange juices... it makes you wonder.
Sadly all shelf-stable juices sold on grocery store shelves (with the exception of stores with juice bars), must undergo this harsh process— and yes, this is true for even the organic ones sold in health food stores. While they may be shelf-stable, they are completely void of any nutritional benefit and delicious taste.
Why is Unpasteurized Juice Better?
Fresh fruit juice in its most natural state is always going to be the best tasting and best for you. Untouched juice retains higher levels of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, making it a powerhouse of nutrition and full of amazing health benefits.
These essential nutrients can work wonders for your body. They boost your immune system, improve digestion, and elevate your overall well-being. The live enzymes found in raw fruit and vegetable juices are packed with concentrated nutrients, which means your gut absorbs them more efficiently, allowing them to work their magic in detoxing, aiding weight loss, promoting glowing skin, and increasing energy levels.
Untreated juice is truly the most potent and natural way to nourish your body from the inside out.
I Need Nutrient-rich Juices in My Life
Is High Pressure Processing Better?
At Raw Generation, we also steer clear of methods like High-Pressure Processing (HPP) for the same reason we avoid pasteurization.
While these methods may extend shelf life, they also strip away the vital nutrients and live enzymes that make raw juice so beneficial.
We believe in keeping our juices as close to their natural state as possible, ensuring you get the maximum health benefits with every bottle. We vow to preserve the purity and potency of our unpasteurized fruit and veggie juices.
Important Things to Keep In Mind
Anything you consume poses a potential health risk of some sort, whether it’s eating at a restaurant, buying a bag of lettuce, or enjoying a melon at a family party. You run the risk of food poisoning with just about anything you put into your mouth. This is not to scare you, but simply the truth.
There are e.coli, salmonella, listeria, and many other outbreaks of foodborne illness daily. Sadly these harmful pathogens are a result of improper safety measures caused by human error. This means that no food is inherently “bad” or dangerous from a strictly pathogenic or bacterial standpoint. But it does not negate the fact that safety measures must be taken seriously.
While we do not heat treat our fresh-squeezed juices, we do have an intensive team that washes, sterilizes, and keeps all FDA regulations at the forefront of our production process when making each and every recipe.
We adhere to strict guidelines when handling ALL areas of production from start to finish thanks to our amazing and knowledgeable quality assurance team. This means you receive a superior and safe product each time you order.
Nutritionist tip:
* If you have health issues, or are a pregnant woman/breastfeeding always consult with a health care provider to make sure raw products are safe for you.
The Bottom Line
When it comes to choosing between unpasteurized and pasteurized juice, the decision is clear. Unpasteurized juice offers unmatched nutritional benefits, preserving the natural vitamins, minerals, and live enzymes that your body craves.
At Raw Generation, we are committed to providing you with the purest juice possible, made with the highest safety standards in mind.
By choosing unpasteurized juice, you're not just opting for better taste—you're choosing a healthier, more natural way to nourish your body from the inside out.
Make the juice worth the squeeze with raw cold-pressed juices and smoothies.
