Got milk?
If so, California’s two
”
raw milk
”
dairies think it should be unpasteurized, full-fat and milked
from free-range, all-natural cows.
A state law that passed last year and went into effect Jan. 1,
however, limits all milk to 10 coliform bacteria per
milliliter.
Got milk?
If so, California’s two “raw milk” dairies think it should be unpasteurized, full-fat and milked from free-range, all-natural cows.
A state law that passed last year and went into effect Jan. 1, however, limits all milk to 10 coliform bacteria per milliliter.
Coliform bacteria are common organisms found in nearly all food products. While many forms of the bacteria do not cause sickness, they are often used as a “bacterial barometer” to determine sanitary conditions of food and the presence of other, harmful bacteria.
Since raw milk is unpasteurized, usually containing between 10 and 100 bacteria per milliliter, the limit would effectively outlaw raw milk – as it is in three states – and stop a $7 million per year industry, said Organic Pastures Founder Mark McAfee.
“Milk is a lot like blood; they are both alive,” he said. “If you heat up blood you can’t pump it back in someone – it’ll kill them. If you heat up raw milk, it’s no longer raw milk – it’s dead. Coliform bacteria is very beneficial to the digestive system. It’s much like the helpful bacteria found in yogurt.”
Organic Pastures in Fresno and Claravale Farms in Watsonville, California’s only producers of raw milk, sued the state after the law passed, and recently a San Benito County judge filed a temporary restraining order, which allows the dairies to keep producing the milk – despite the law – while attorneys hash out the lawsuit in court.
The next hearing is scheduled for May 16 at San Benito County Superior Court, and the state plans to show more evidence of raw milk’s “dangers.”
“We are cooperating with the state in every way and trying to struggle forward to find a mutually agreeable standard for everyone involved,” McAfee said.
While McAfee said he has been working closely with the California Department of Food and Agriculture to find a solution, Claravale Farms Owner Ron Garthwaite said the CDFA is only trying to protect the pasteurized milk industry and that it is “out of touch with the food trends of today.”
“The amount of research that went into passing this law was pathetically absent,” Garthwaite said. “The bill was a blatant lie and was snuck through the state Legislature because if they had been honest about it, it never would have passed. The state is absolutely stonewalling us. They have rejected all our suggestions for making this work and circled the wagons to ride this thing down. If you eat salads, sushi, fresh fruits and vegetables, even rare steak – this case is important.”
CDFA Spokesman Steve Lyle defended the law, calling it “one more safeguard that can protect consumers of dairy products.”
“Raw milk is a food product that carries warning labels. One that’s illegal in some states,” Lyle said. “There have been a number of incidents where people have become sick after consuming raw milk.”
