Abstract Because of their unique composition and properties, milk and dairy products represent excellent growth media for many pathogenic microorganisms. Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli O157:H7 are the most frequent potential pathogens associated with milk or dairy products in industrialized countries and are therefore the main microbiological hazards linked to raw milk and raw cheese. This review summarizes the scientific information about outbreaks related to foodborne pathogens in dairy products and highlights the increasing application of molecular approaches to detect and identify the bacteria responsible for these outbreaks. Molecular techniques have facilitated the rapid detection and identification of foodborne pathogens, which has been crucial for current surveillance and outbreak control.