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  • From: "Tradingpost" <tradingpost@lobo.net>
  • To: livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Livingontheland] FDA Investigates Dairy Over Unpasteurized Milk
  • Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2008 09:18:39 -0600


FDA Investigates Dairy Over Unpasteurized Milk
ASSOCIATED PRESS
June 12, 2008

SAN FRANCISCO -- Dairy owner Mark McAfee started selling raw milk in 2000,
marketing it to customers who believe it contains beneficial microbes that
treat everything from asthma to autism.
The unpasteurized milk swiftly caught on as part of the growing natural food
movement. But the Food and Drug Administration recently opened an
investigation into whether Mr. McAfee's dairy illegally shipped raw milk
across state
lines.
The case against Mr. McAfee is part of a crackdown on raw milk by government
health officials who are concerned about the spread of food-borne illnesses.
Lawmakers and law-enforcement agencies are stepping up efforts to keep
unpasteurized milk out of reach, even as demand for the niche product grows.
Mr. McAfee, who was among the first in California to sell raw milk on a
large scale, brushed off the investigation: "When you're a pioneer, you have
to
expect to take a few arrows."
Twenty-two states prohibit sales of raw milk for human consumption, and the
rest allow it within their borders. The FDA bans cross-border sales.
Associated Press Dairyman Mark McAfee with his free-range, milk-producing
cows, at his dairy in Fresno, Calif.
In Pennsylvania, local officials recently busted two dairies unlawfully
selling milk straight from the cow.
And in Maryland, health officials issued an emergency ban late last year on
"cow-sharing" agreements, claiming they were aimed at skirting a ban on
raw-milk sales.
"Raw milk should not be consumed by anyone for any reason," said John
Sheehan, head of the FDA's dairy office. "It is an inherently dangerous
product."
But shutting down sales is tricky because the federal government has largely
let states regulate the raw-milk industry. The result is a hodgepodge of
laws that confuse consumers, dairy farmers and regulators alike.
Mr. McAfee said he expects the FDA's probe to be dropped without charges in
a deal that will require him to guarantee his interstate shipments are for
use only as pet food. The FDA declined to comment.
Raw-milk proponents insist they are under siege by state and federal
regulators intent on snuffing out the industry.
The popularity of raw milk is fueled by consumers' concerns about the
chemicals and hormones used in traditional dairy farming, and a growing
interest in
unprocessed, organic foods.
Devotees of raw milk ascribe to its almost mythical healing powers. They
feed it to babies, believing it strengthens the immune system and staves off
digestive troubles. The heat used in pasteurization, they say, kills healthy
natural proteins and enzymes. "It's a magic food," said Sally Fallon,
president
of the Weston A. Price Foundation, a nonprofit that advocates consumption of
natural foods.
The FDA insists pasteurization destroys harmful bacteria without
significantly changing milk's nutritional value. The process also extends its
shelf
life.
Nevertheless, some consumers have formed cooperatives to support dairy
farmers who offer raw milk. They also join the "cow-sharing" programs in
which
farmers take care of cows that are "leased" by consumers.
Food-safety officials say raw milk has sickened hundreds of people with
salmonella, E. coli and other bacteria. According to the federal Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, 1,000 people fell ill from raw milk between
1998
and 2005; two died.
The FDA ban on cross-border sales of raw milk led to its criminal
investigation of Organic Pastures, a Fresno dairy owned by Mr. McAfee that is
California's largest raw-milk supplier.
Mr. McAfee also is challenging a new California law requiring lower bacteria
levels in raw milk. He fears the change will put him out of business. A
judge in San Benito County last month ruled for the state, but Mr. McAfee
appealed the decision. Also, a state senator plans to introduce a bill to
repeal the
law.
_Whole Foods Market_
(http://online.wsj.com/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=WFMI) Inc. lobbied
for a law that ensures raw-milk dairies can stay in
business. "It is a growing piece of our business," said Walter Robb, the
company's
co-president. "We want to protect consumer choice."
He and other raw-milk proponents argue that the FDA should spend its time
working on other agricultural practices that jeopardize food safety, such as
the way large farms confine animals.





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