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Is That Milk Government Approved?
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by thescribetony | May 5, 2008 at 11:19 am
491 views | 12 Recommendations | 6 comments
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Who gets to decide what you put on your table?
The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has decided, when it
comes to raw milk, they are the final word on dairy choices—as
Mennonite farmer Mark Nolt discovered last week. Nolt was arrested for
’selling milk without a license’. According to the Complete Patient Website
, Nolt has $5,100 in fines and costs and “PDA officials confiscated
$20,000 to $25,000 worth of dairy products and production equipment.”
Also, according to the Complete Patient Website “… [Nolt’s] farm had
been closed and that a large group of officials had gathered, with
videos prohibited.” Nolt’s was selling raw milk.
Some consumers believe that raw milk (as opposed to milk that is pasteurized) is healthier for human consumption. A World Net Daily
article cites a study that claims: “children who consumed “farm milk,”
that is, raw, whole, unprocessed milk, had lower levels of asthma and
hay fever.”
Government officials are not convinced. According to an article in Time Magazine,
John Sheehan, diary-food safety director at FDA, told Maryland state
delegates that “raw milk in any form should not be consumed by anyone,
at any time, for any reason.” Also, according to Sheehan, “Raw milk
makes up less than half of 1% of milk sales in the U.S. but accounts
for twice as many disease outbreaks as pasteurized milk.”
Proponents of raw milk say that raw milk is getting—well, a raw deal. A presentation on the Real Milk
Website questions the science behind the conclusions that raw milk is
somehow worse than other foods (pasteurized milk, processed meats, hot
dogs) and goes so far to say that “fourteen of the fifteen studies
produced either no valid positive milk sample or no valid statistical
association.” As quoted on Raw-Milk-Facts
, “People have been drinking raw milk from animals for thousands of
years. Really, the term “raw” is a misnomer because it implies that all
milk should be cooked…”
The fundamental argument remains: “Who gets to choose what you can serve your family?”
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (6)
at 13:26 on May 5th, 2008
thescribetony, very interesting post! I'm not sure where I stand on processed/pasteurized vs. 'raw' dairy products, but I know that raw milk cheeses are unbelievable delicious, whether or not they're better for you.
at 13:28 on May 5th, 2008
Interesting article...I usually assume food in its natural state is healthier than if it were processed, although I admit I've never thought about raw milk as an option. Do you know what exactly government officials are worried about, health-wise?
at 03:29 on May 6th, 2008
interesting article, and thanks for using my photo!
Rob: the government is worried about harmful bacteria - true the pastuerization process will kill all of that - but it will also kill anything good in there as well. i personally tend to think things that are closer to their natural state and not messed around with too much are healthier, but truth is i would never drink raw milk from the big factory farms - the conditions are a breeding ground for all kinds of nasty stuff. but i don't see a problem from getting it from smaller farms if you know the animals (and milk) are being handled in better ways. besides, we are all adults here... why not just slap a warning label on the milk like they do with eggs and let us decide whether we want to drink it anyway? as to all these so-called studies, the europeans eat raw cheese with no problem, and i don't see any higher rates of illness caused by it, so i don't entirely believe it.
at 10:57 on May 13th, 2008
Raw cow's milk being ripened to make Cheddar in Massachusetts. Raw milk is used extensively in traditional cheese making; in the US, it is illegal to sell raw milk cheese that has been aged less than 60 days.
danielle.savorculture has contributed a photo to this story.
at 11:32 on May 13th, 2008
In the US, your ability to (legally) obtain raw milk is determined by state law. In Massachusetts, a dairy farm with the appropriate license can sell raw milk on its premises. I believe that this is among the more liberal of the laws; in many states, it is illegal to sell raw milk at all.
By contrast, the USDA forbids the sale of raw milk cheese that has been aged less than 60 days. It is thought that raw milk cheese carries a greater risk of listeria or salmonella contamination than those made with pasteurized milk. After two months of aging, the high-acid, high-salt environment of the cheese is believed to be inhospitable to harmful bacteria. For this reason, cheese purveyors in the US may not import raw milk mozzarella or Brie, but they may sell aged cheeses such as Cheddar and Parmigiana-Reggiano.
Perhaps the sale of raw milk should be controlled, but I don't believe that its use in commercially-produced cheese should be forbidden. You can order a rare steak at a restaurant despite the possible consequences; why should raw milk be different?
at 23:29 on February 23rd, 2009
Whenever I drink pasteurized milk my stomach gets bloaty and gassy, I become restless and sad for hours. Is this healthy? I have to eat raw carrots to help me during those bloaty and gassy hours. I was raised on fresh cow's milk as a child from a neighbouring farm. Recently, I have been hearing about raw milk since Michael Schmidt of Canada was hauled off to court fines; his farm equiptments (he told me; was taken away from his farm). Where can I find fresh cow's milk like the kind Michael Schmidt (of Durham Canada) clean and healthy cows gives? Michael told me that the reason I digest fresh (raw) cow's milk is because of the natural enzymes in it. which helps in digestion. I can only pray to God Almighty that all goes well for caring human beings like Mr. Nolt and Michael Schmidt especially in their finances..
Pancheta (born in Jamaica, W.I.)