The more data there is suggesting that raw milk is not only safe, but also healthy and popular, the more difficult it is for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control, and the various professional medical associations to argue otherwise. Or let me put it this way: the more shrill and hollow their arguments sound.
June 2009
Raw milk for sale on a central Massachusetts farm.In our debates about the economic impact of raw dairies, we’ve had to speculate, use our personal experiences. There’s been a lot of that going on over the last few days, along with intense debate over safety and Big Ag’s products versus those of smaller farms.
There’s an interesting survey going on from the Raw Dairy listserve about how much people are paying for raw milk. When I filled it out last evening, here were the results, based on 39 responses:
I’ve run a few companies over the years, and one lesson I've learned well is that most employees want to do a good job, do the best they can. Indeed, I’ve come to believe this about people in general, whether they work for private companies or the government.
I keep trying to figure out what’s really going on with New York’s Department of Agriculture and Markets, and I’m having trouble. A few people have written me to suggest possible motivations. A couple have suggested that the regulators in New York are just doing their job. They’re enforcing the law and using U.S. Food and Drug Administration guidelines that provide for zero tolerance of listeria in dairy products.
We all know the story of the shepherd boy who found entertainment in telling villagers his flock of sheep was being attacked by a wolf. The first time the boy sought help, the villagers came running, only to find the boy was joking. The same thing happened a second time.
Chuck Phippen seems to have received an answer from New York’s Department of Agriculture and Markets over his challenge to the agency’s approach to dealing with listeria in raw milk.
It’s a funny thing about this country. Sometimes the most seemingly intractable rights and ethical dilemmas have a way of being trumped by economics.
It was actually a boycott by blacks in 1955 of the public bus system in Montgomery, AL, that accelerated the push for an end to racial segregation.
I get asked any number of times by nutrition-conscious people about the difference between raw milk and organic milk. Of course, the explanation gets fairly involved, since I first need to point out that raw milk may or may not be organic.
This site's mission is to provide news and analysis about food rights and raw milk. Increasingly, our access to privately available food is under attack by government and industry forces that seek to impose their choices on us. The Complete Patient seeks to provide up-to-date information and encourage the development of community to maintain traditional food acquisition options.