May 05 2008
Is That Milk Government Approved?
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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