Morningland Challenges Standard Food Police Practices--Will a MO Judge Go Where No Judge Has Dared Go?

Suppose the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and its various local ag and public health minions had to show detailed laboratory evidence before declaring food contaminated.

Suppose the authorities needed to demonstrate that the bacteria being labeled as unfit for human consumption really were.

[ READ MORE (Complete Patient) ]

And Now for the Rest of the Story on Illnesses from Raw Milk Cheese--What Is Message of Upward Trend?

Well, surprise, surprise, no one came forward to take up my challenge to explore the data on illnesses from raw milk cheese during the period after 2005. In my Feb. 6 post about the big push by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to trash the minimum 60-day aging requirement for raw milk cheese, I issued this challenge: "I didn't have a chance to explore the years 2006-2010, but I'd love to see that data. Do the germophobes have the guts to do that, and assess all the data?"

It turns out not to be a huge deal to go through the data. It's just tedious, and you see reenforced again and again the notion that pretty much any food can cause illness--burritos, guacamole, clams, fried rice, macaroni and cheese. You name it, and it gets people sick, sometimes in big numbers. In the summer of 2008, 104 people in Alaska got sick from campylobacter in green peas--maybe celebrating the great weather...err, probably not...they wouldn't be celebrating with green peas. But I digress.

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Plain make illegal N.Y. milk runs

Milk may be a natural, as the jingle says. But raw milk peddled across state lines is illegal.

Some Lancaster County Plain sect farmers just got a reminder.

[ READ MORE (Lancaster Online) ]

Raw milk could be sold in New Jersey under proposed bill

An Assembly panel recently approved a measure sponsored by Assemblywoman Connie Wagner to aid New Jersey farmers by allowing for the sale of raw milk.

The bill (A-743) would create a permit program through the New Jersey Department of Agriculture to allow for the sale of raw milk in New Jersey. The legislation would require the testing of cows intended to be used for the production of raw milk, with ongoing testing as necessary. The permit holder would also be required to conduct tests to measure the levels of certain bacteria and pathogens in the raw milk produced. The bill also stipulates that no growth hormones can be used in the process of producing raw milk.

[ READ MORE (NJ.com) ]

Farmer in raw dairy case due for contempt of court hearing

A southern Minnesota dairy farmer accused of selling contaminated raw milk that sickened 15 people has a contempt of court hearing Monday in a Sibley County courtroom.

State Agriculture Department officials say Michael Hartmann has ignored a court-approved embargo placed on his food. Criminal charges are rare in food-borne illness cases, but state authorities have said the case could warrant felony charges.

[ READ MORE (MPR) ]

BBC to Air The Food Show on Raw Milk

I’m excited to say that BBC’s The Food Program is covering the issue of raw milk. I’ve had the privilege of being contacted by the producer, who has been speaking to various people about raw milk, to prepare for this program, and she has received a copy of “The Untold Story of Milk” by Ron Schmid.

Dr Natasha Campbell-McBride was interviewed and provides medical justification for raw milk. Sheila Dillon also visited Hook and Son, so this promises to be a program not to miss and, one to share with friends and family who are sitting on the fence. I’d imagine that the BBC will give both sides of the story, and its a shame that raw milk isn’t mentioned in the program title, so its hard to know what conclusions the show will reach. But I’ve been assured that raw milk is being covered and will receive a fair go.

[ READ MORE (Hartke) ]

Is Raw Milk Safe to Drink?

Raw milk is, quite simply, milk that comes straight from the cow without being pasteurized. But, they pasteurize milk for a reason, right? So, how could drinking unpasteurized milk be safe?

Pasteurization involves heating foods, then rapidly cooling them again to kill off any microorganisms living in the food. The process, invented by biologist Louis Pasteur in 1864, can prevent people from contracting many kinds of foodborne illnesses like salmonella or E. coli.

[ READ MORE (Farmers Almanac) ]