Raw Milk and the Raw Deal
March 10, 2015
Story at-a-glance
-
According to the FDA, just over 115 people per year,
on average, get sick from raw milk… in a country
were 9-48 million people get sick from foodborne
illness annually
-
A new report ranks CAFO beef and vegetables (often
contaminated by CAFO pollution) as top sources of
foodborne illness
-
The government continues to waste resources
targeting raw milk farmers producing a safe, healthy
food while turning a blind eye on the other foods
that are killing and sickening millions
By Dr. Mercola
An entire section of the US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA)
website is devoted to warning Americans about the
“dangers” of raw milk. There it states that more than 1,500
people in the US became sick from raw milk from 1993 to 2006.1
This is just over 115 people per year, on average… in a country
were 9 million people get sick from foodborne illness
annually.2
Is it possible to get sick from drinking raw milk?
Yes! But it’s also possible to get sick from eating a salad, a
cheeseburger or a bowl of fruit. In fact, you’re far more likely to
be infected with a foodborne illness when eating any number of foods
other than high-quality raw milk.
A new report produced by the Interagency Food Safety Analytics
Collaboration (IFSAC), a partnership of the US Department of
Agriculture, the US Food and Drug Administration and the US Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), revealed which foods are
most likely to make you sick… and the answers might surprise you.3
Picking Out Food at Your Supermarket Is Like Playing Russian
Roulette
Of the 9 million people who get sick from eating food each year,
55,000 are hospitalized and 1,000 will die.4
These are the estimates from IFSAC, which are actually far lower
than those given by the CDC in 2011.
According to those estimates, the problem is far worse
with 48 million people being sickened by foodborne diseases each
year, including 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths.
Whichever figure is correct, suffice it to say that it’s a
lot.5
According to the IFSAC report, certain foods cause so many illnesses
each year that shopping at your supermarket is like playing a game
of Russian roulette.
Will you pick the package of chicken breasts with salmonella in
it? Will the ground beef for your hamburger patties contain the
particularly deadly E. coli O157? Will your bagged salad be covered
in any number of disease-causing pathogens?
Government agencies have painted the picture that if you go to a
farm and purchase high-quality farm-fresh milk (i.e. raw
milk), you’re walking away with a food that is crawling in dangerous
bacteria. The way they make it sound you’d think you could get sick
just by looking at it. But I’d take my chances on the farm
any day.
The fact is, the majority of foods that are making people sick
are coming not from small organic farms selling raw-milk products…
they’re coming from concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs).
And if you shop at a typical supermarket, where do you think most of
the food comes from?
The very same CAFOs producing the most contaminated foods… the
companies behind the so-called
“ag-gag” laws trying to keep you from seeing what’s going on
behind their closed doors.
Their food might not kill you… but then again it might. Or, if
you pick the “wrong” package of chicken, for example, you might
simply end up spending a few days in the hospital or, if you’re
“lucky,” just 24 hours or so tied to your porcelain throne.
Which Foods Are Most Likely to Make You Sick?
The IFSAC report used data from nearly 1,000 outbreaks between
1998 and 2012. They were looking for which foods were most
responsible for illnesses caused by four types of foodborne
bacteria: salmonella, E. coli O157, listeria, and campylobacter.
These four pathogens alone cause nearly 2 million cases of foodborne
illness each year in the US.6
Here’s what the data revealed:
- E.coli O157: Beef (46 percent), vegetables
grown in rows (36 percent)
- Listeria: Fruits (50 percent), dairy (31
percent)
- Salmonella: Vegetables grown from seeds (18
percent), eggs (12 percent), fruits (12 percent), chicken (10
percent), sprouts (8 percent), beef (9 percent), and pork (8
percent)
- Campylobacter: Dairy (66 percent), chicken
(8 percent)
You’ll notice a definite problem with meat and eggs also made the
list. Ninety percent of all chicken meat and eggs sold in the US
come from CAFOs, and overall, according to the Union of Concerned
Scientists,
“Although they comprise only about 5 percent of all U.S.
animal operations, CAFOs now produce more than 50 percent of our
food animals.”7
That was in 2008, and the number of CAFOs has only risen since
then. You’ll also notice vegetables as a serious food of concern.
Why? Vegetables make us sick not because of plant diseases…
but because of the same CAFOs that are producing contaminated meat
and eggs.
Dr. Michael Greger, a graduate of the Cornell University
School of Agriculture and the Tufts University School of Medicine,
told the Huffington Post:8
“People don't get plant diseases; they get animal
diseases. The problem is that because of the number of animals
raised today, a billion tons of manure are produced every year
in the United States--the weight of 10,000 Nimitz-class aircraft
carriers.
Dairy cow and pig factories often dump millions of
gallons of putrefying waste into massive open-air cesspits,
which can leak and contaminate water used to irrigate our crops.
That's how a deadly fecal pathogen like E. coli O157:H7 can end
up contaminating our spinach.”
What About the Dairy on the List?
The report states that the large number of campylobacter
outbreaks associated with dairy were “largely, although not
entirely, due to outbreaks associated with raw fluid milk or cheese
produced form raw milk (e.g., unpasteurized queso fresco).”
The report went on to acknowledge their limitations, noting that
their results reflect surveillance biases and uncertainties due to
sparse data.
They particularly urged caution in interpreting their findings
for campylobacter in dairy (along with listeria in fruit). Past
research has found, for instance, that the food and food-contaminant
combination that causes the most economic damage is
campylobacter in chicken.
In addition, it’s unclear what sources of unpasteurized dairy
accounted for the outbreaks. For instance, Mark McAfee, CEO of
Organic Pastures Dairy and an internationally recognized expert in
raw milk production and safety, investigated the two deaths in
California that the CDC said were linked to raw milk. He noted:9
“The data I received back from the CDC showed that in
fact there had been no death from raw milk at all. The two
deaths had been from illegal Mexican bath tub cheese and not raw
milk from any place in America. Why does the CDC persist in
publishing this erroneous information? ...The last people to die
from milk died from pasteurized milk at Whittier farms in 2007,
not from raw milk."
It’s unfair that the government continues to target peaceful raw
milk farmers producing a safe, healthy food for people who want
it. Yet, outrageously, aggressive
armed raids by federal agents against Amish raw milk farmers are
not uncommon. Raw milk isn't the only food on the chopping block,
either. Raw-milk cheeses and
heritage-breed pigs are also being targeted, and there's no
telling what other small-farm, niche foods may be next. Meanwhile,
other foods are killing and sickening millions. Where are
the warnings against eating CAFO chicken, beef and eggs, for
starters?
Drug Residues in Your Milk and Meat
There are other reasons to reconsider CAFO food aside from
foodborne illness, including drug residues.
Antibiotics and other drugs are commonly given to dairy cows and
other livestock. Milk is tested for up to six commonly used drugs,
such as penicillin, and if excess levels are found the milk cannot
be sold. However, not all drugs given to animals are tested for, and
there has been concern that illegal drugs might be showing up in
milk too. In 2012, the FDA conducted a survey to determine whether
illegal drugs were finding their way into the US milk supply. The
study was only green-lighted after a more than year-long
“negotiation” into its terms with the dairy industry and state
governments.
Why the FDA, which is charged with protecting the public health,
would need to negotiate study terms with an industry it is supposed
to police is only one murky aspect to this story… Even more
unsettling is the fact that in 2015, years after the
study’s completion, the FDA has yet to release its findings. The
Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) filed a Freedom of
Information Act request for the survey data, but the FDA denied
it. What are they hiding? CSPI appealed and is currently
waiting for the FDA’s response. So far, they have only stated that
the agency is “unable to provide a specific release date at this
time but is actively working to publish the report…”10
For the record, CSPI has reason to be suspect of drugs in milk.
In 2011, they reviewed drug-testing reports at slaughter plants and
found that dairy farms accounted for 67 percent of drug-residue
violations. In all, 17 different drugs were found in more than 735
drug-positive tissue samples. This included drugs that are banned
for use in cattle, such as the antibiotic gentamicin.11
When illegal drug residues are found in animals coming from dairy
farms, it’s an indication that drugs may be being improperly used
elsewhere on the farm, and possibly accumulating in your milk as
well.
The FDA Will Target Raw Milk… But Not Rampant Overuse of Antibiotics
in Animal Feed
While the FDA continues to waste resources on “warning” the
public about a healthy food like raw milk, they knew for more than
12 years that routine
use of antibiotics in livestock is harmful to human health, yet
took no meaningful action. Nearly
25 million pounds of antibiotics are administered to livestock
in the US every year for purposes other than treating disease,
such as making the animals grow bigger faster. The drug-resistant
bacteria that contaminate your meat may pass on their resistant
genes to other bacteria in your body, making you more likely to
become sick.
Drug-resistant bacteria also accumulate in manure that is spread
on fields and enters waterways, allowing the drug-resistant bacteria
to spread far and wide and ultimately back up the food chain to us.
Meanwhile, antibiotic-resistant bacteria infect 2 million Americans
every year, causing at least 23,000 deaths. Even more die from
complications related to the infections, and the numbers are
steadily growing. You can see how easily antibiotic resistance
spreads, via the food you eat and community contact, in the CDC's
infographic below.
Source: CDC.gov, Antibiotic
Resistance Threats in the United States, 2013
Europeans Enjoy Raw Milk from Vending Machines
To put matters even more into perspective, consider that some
European nations sell raw milk in vending machines! And
contrary to popular (American) belief, the bodies are NOT piling up
as a result. As reported by Modern Farmer:12
"Europe's embrace of raw milk vending machines isn't new. Such
daring dispensers of unpasteurized dairy can be found in France,
Croatia, Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands and, as one map,13
shows, all over the place in Italy."
The safety measures are remarkably simple. If the temperature of
the milk rises above the regulated level, the machine will stop
dispensing milk, and the farmer is notified via text message. The
milk spout is sterilized by a UV light between each purchase. In the
US, several states have outright banned the sale of raw milk for
fear of contaminated milk despite the fact that, statistically, such
fears are completely and udderly unfounded (pun intended). Research
by Dr. Ted Beals, MD also shows that you are actually about 35,000
times more likely to get sick from other foods than you are from raw
milk!14
It’s Legal to Consume Raw Fish… Why Not Raw Milk?
When the government gets involved in telling people what foods
they can and can’t consume, it’s a slippery slope to oppression.
Yet, so far, the FDA seems fairly focused on raw milk, thanks to a
strong dairy lobby. Lobbying spending by the dairy industry doubled
from 2003 to 2013, reaching $8 million the latter year.15
Meanwhile, other so-called raw “risky” foods, like sushi and
undercooked eggs, are enjoyed by Americans each and every day,
legally, I might add. And, even without government interference,
there is great incentive for sushi restaurants and raw-milk
producers alike to produce safe, high-quality products. As reported
by the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research:16
“…the market is already able to protect the public
against another food that is often seen as potentially risky—raw
fish. Currently, the federal government has no regulations
concerning which fish can receive the designation of ‘sushi
grade,’ meaning it is expected to be consumed raw. In other
words, a gas station vendor could buy low-grade fish from the
nearest waterfront and label it “sushi grade.” But people would
be hesitant to purchase raw fish from a gas station that they do
not trust. Further, a business will not stay open for long if it
disappoints its customers, much less if it makes them seriously
ill by selling tainted food.
Without being told by the government to do so, stores
tend to reserve the best quality, cleanest fish for the label
“sushi grade.” These sales operate without regulation and
without sacrificing public health. Companies selling raw milk
likewise regulate their own products in a manner that protects
the health of their consumers. Ten states allow retail sales of
all types of raw milk, and more allow on-farm sales. Despite
warnings from the FDA, there is no massive public health crisis
in the states that allow consumption of raw milk, compared to
those that do not.
…Weighing the benefits of raw milk, and other foods such
as lettuce and shellfish, against the risks is an individual
choice that the government should stay out of. For some,
drinking raw milk may not make sense. For others, the flavor and
the health benefits might outweigh the associated risks,
especially when purchasing raw milk from a trusted
source—whether that be a family friend, a local farmers market,
or a reputable retail store. Instead of creating and enforcing
regulations which ban products when there are not substantial
threats to the public, government agencies should leave people
and the food that they choose to consume alone.”
Join the Fight for Food Freedom
The fight over raw milk stands as a symbol of the much larger
fight for food freedom. Who gets to decide what you eat? You? Or the
FDA? If the FDA and other government agencies are allowed to impose
their view of "safe food" on consumers, raw milk won't be the only
thing lost—all food will be pasteurized, irradiated, and genetically
engineered. The effort to reclaim our right to buy and consume raw
milk is leading the way for everyone who wants to be able to obtain
the food of their choice from the source of their choice. So please,
get involved! I urge you to get involved with the following action
plan to protect your right to choose your own foods:
- Get informed: Visit
www.farmtoconsumer.org
or click
here to sign up for action alerts. To review the raw milk
laws in your state, see the Farm-to-Consumer.org's
Raw
Milk Nation page.
- Join the fight for your rights: The
Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund (FTCLDF) is the only
organization of its kind. This 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization
provides a legal defense for farmers who are being pursued by
the government for distributing foods directly to consumers.
Your
donations, although not tax deductible, will be used to
support the litigation, legislative, and lobbying efforts of the
FTCLDF.
- Support your local farmers: Getting your
raw milk from a local organic farm or co-op is one of the best
ways to ensure you're getting high-quality milk. You can locate
a raw milk source near you at the Campaign for
Real Milk
Website. California residents can find raw milk retailers by
using the store locator available at
www.OrganicPastures.com.
As with all foods, the source matters, and this is just
as true with raw milk as any other food. If you’re interested in raw
milk, here are tips for finding
high-quality raw milk sources.
How to Minimize Your Risk of Foodborne Illness
Sometimes, food-borne illness may be inevitable, but there
are steps you can take to lower your risk. This includes
commonsense measures like washing your hands and sanitizing
counters/cutting boards after handling potentially contaminated
foods, rinsing fruits and vegetables before eating, and storing
foods at the proper temperature. One important factor impacting
whether your food is “safe” isn’t total storage time, but rather how
much time it spends in the temperature “danger zone” (between 40-120
degrees F).17
You’ll want to avoid leaving your groceries in a hot car for too
long, for instance, as this will generally promote food-borne
illness.
It’s important to keep in mind that the potential for foodborne
illness applies to ANY food, and where it comes from is probably the
greatest indicator of whether it’s likely to be safe or
contaminated. So ultimately, the key to making sure that any food
you eat is safe is to get it from a high-quality source. I can't
stress the importance of this enough. When you get your produce from
small farmers that raise their food in natural settings using clean
water, as opposed to massive agribusiness conglomerations that use
sewage sludge as fertilizer, there is very little risk in eating
these foods raw. The same goes for meat, eggs, and raw dairy
products, as well.
I also suggest browsing through my
Sustainable
Agriculture resource page to find farmer's markets, family
farms, and other sources of safe, high-quality food. Not only are
these sources likely to raise food in more sanitary conditions than
a CAFO, but there's a better chance that it will also be locally
grown. The closer you are to the source of your food, the fewer
hands it has to pass through and the less time it will sit in
storage -- so the better, and likely safer, it will be for you and
your family. Finally, along with the practical precautions mentioned
above, lowering your chances of becoming ill from food poisoning
also involves keeping your immune system healthy by following these
five steps to boost your immune system health.
Copyright 1997- 2015 Dr. Joseph Mercola. All Rights Reserved.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2015/03/10/raw-milk-raw-deal.aspx
|