FDA throws Raw Milk Freedom Riders a bone, but what we really want . . . is a roast. The first Farm Food Freedom Coalition event, with participants from diverse groups such as the Weston A. Price Foundation (WAPF), the Raw Milk Institute (RAWMI), and more, converged on the FDA headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland on Tuesday, November 1st. Joel Salatin, David Gumpert, and many other food activists came to speak and lend support to this ground breaking effort to end the food totalitarianism foisted upon a mostly unaware American populace by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Natural News, Adam Vs. The Man, and a number of other alternative media outlets came to record and report on the happenings.

A group of mom's with kids, after legally acquiring real milk in Pennsylvania, drove to Maryland, thus committing a "crime" per the FDA's interpretation of the federal ban on interstate commerce of real milk.

The group was met at the state border by a caravan of folks from multiple states to journey on to the FDA headquarters. These demonstrators were joined by dozens more at the FDA headquarters, where a rally with up to 200 people took place for over three hours and much real milk was shared and enjoyed by the attendees. Speakers included Joel Salatin, author of the newly released book Folks, This Ain't Normal; Canadian biodynamic farmer and activist Michael Schmidt; Sally Fallon Morell, president of WAPF and founder of the Campaign for Real Milk;  raw milk activist Max Kane from Wisconsin; Liz Reitzig, one of the rally organizers and co-founder of FFFC; Mark McAfee of Organic Pastures Dairy Company in California; David Gumpert, journalist and author of the Raw Milk Revolution; and others.

The day held few surprises - lots of hugs, chants, chatting, speeches, and solidarity among those present from dozens of states - other than the rally goers being greeted and surrounded by roughly thirty police and homeland security vehicles, with at least that many or more officers.

Good thing no one planned a crime spree in Silver Springs that afternoon, or those real food protestors may have gotten out of control and stormed the building when the police had to go find some petty criminals to deal with... and, by the way, to all you taxpayers, this show of force probably cost you somewhere between twenty and thirty thousand dollars, a smidgen of what the government is burning through terrorizing small farmers, buying clubs, and other various businesses like Wilderness Family Naturals these days. Good thing the FED keeps those printing presses turning! Reminds one of Rawsome... stop, or the arugula will shoot!

No one from the FDA came out to visit or kick back a glass of white gold, though earlier in the week someone from the FDA's "emergency communications department" contacted Liz Reitzig, one of the main organizers of the event, saying that the FDA "wants to talk." One wonders if they want to have a "parent to child" type of chat, or a real discussion about their ill-conceived, incorrect, and evil actions against small farms and small farm supporters on behalf of big agribusiness, pharmaceutical companies, and vested interests under the façade of food safety and public health.

More interesting was an FDA press release given later in the day of the rally, which you can read in full here, that came to the attention of a small group of us as we decompressed after a long day of travel at the home of one of the organizers. Especially pertinent was this little statement:

"With respect to the interstate sale and distribution of raw milk, the FDA has never taken, nor does it intend to take, enforcement action against an individual who purchased and transported raw milk across state lines solely for his or her own personal consumption."  [emphasis mine]

The leaders in the food freedom movement agreed that this is little more than a bone from the FDA. They still see any group effort to move real milk across state lines as criminal. They still think that they, not you, have the right to determine what you may and may not choose to eat.

So, what happens next? We'll see who makes the next move: Raw Milk Freedom Riders or FDA.

Edited version of article originally posted as "FDA throws Raw Milk Freedom Riders a bone, but what we really want . . . " at Food Clubs & Coops; posted here by author's permission.