Harper’s Magazine features a nice primer on the state of the raw-milk controversy in its April issue.
Unfortunately not available on the Web, “The Revolution Will Not Be Pasteurized” looks at the movement from several angles. Writer Nathanael Johnson profiles small Canada-based biodynamic farmer Michael Schmidt as well as Mark McAfee, a California dairy farmer with a much larger raw-milk operation. In 2006, five children were infected with E. coli bacteria linked to McAfee’s Organic Pastures raw milk, two seriously.
Johnson shows how the raw-milk movement is at a tipping point, with food-research experts like Bruce German maintaining that the bacteria we give up to pasteurization can do more to help us than harm us. Big corporations like Dannon agree, and they’re rushing to develop proprietary strains of bacteria to add to their dairy products. But many authorities and lawmakers are still profoundly skeptical. To show how dangerous many think raw milk is, Johnson quotes a police officer who, during a raid on a raw-milk dairy, actually told onlookers to step away from “the white liquid substance.”
In the end, the problem with legalizing raw milk may be more about perception than reality. As Johnson notes:
A dying child will make people change their behavior. The diseases that might stem from a lack of bacteria are much more subtle. … Businesses that contribute to chronic disease often flourish while businesses that contribute to acute disease get shut down.
Which explains why you often have to join an underground buyers’ club to get raw milk, but you can find a Big Mac in every neighborhood.
I am a big advocate of Raw Milk and Raw Milk products like Raw Milk Cheese, Yogurt, Butter and Kefir, so, I am just a little bit biased. However, it was my understanding that the Organic Pastures controversy was completely bogus. To quote:
“The September 2006 E.coli spinach outbreak provides another example. Over the past eight years, Organic Pastures Dairy of Fresno, California has sold over 40 million servings of raw milk without one case of illness; during the same period the California Department of Food and Agriculture has issued at least 19 recalls of pasteurized milk products in California. Frequent testing by Organic Pastures, the state of California, and the veterinary departments of local universities has failed to detect even a single human pathogen in the milk.
Yet in September 2006, after four children who had consumed raw milk and also raw spinach or sushi became ill, state officials ordered the dairy to shut down. All Organic Pastures products were recalled. Officials performed over 2,000 tests of the entire dairy operation, including swabs taken from the 300 cows, the farm, the manure and the equipment, without finding a single pathogen. The raw dairy products are now back on store shelves, yet many state health officials continue to report that Organic Pasture’s raw milk caused illness due to E. coli.”
“Although officials of the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA)
accused Organic Pastures Dairy, California’s main producer of raw milk, of selling
tainted milk, thorough investigation of the milk, the cows and even the manure at
Organic Pastures Dairy failed to find virulent E. coli or any other pathogen.
The state was forced to make a monetary settlement to compensate Organic Pastures Dairy for loss of business during the unnecessary two-week recall.”
Also, I can not remember ever hearing any “news” source say that pasteurized milk products have caused MANY more illnesses than Raw Milk products, and that Produce (specifically, Bagged, Washed Produce) cause more illness than anything.
I ain’t disrespectin’ Produce, I am just trying to put some things in context.
Anyway, good for you for talking about an important subject.
Interesting, DougRisk. Thanks for the clarification.
Also on the bacteria tip, the New York Times is reporting today that Dannon is getting sued for deceptive advertising because of the claims it makes about the propietary probiotics in its DanActive yogurts.
Wow, I didn’t know that.
Another thing that people should know about Raw Milk is that it doesn’t Spoil (like Pasteurized Milk), it Sours. This is because of the Bacteria that exists in the Milk naturally.
And Soured Milk had been a staple in the Western Diet. It was used for so many things.
Many stories were told about Irish Wives leaving the day’s leftover milk overnight by the dying embers on the fireplace. This Soured Milk would then be used in the making of (Irish) Soda Bread.