At the Organic Consumers Association home office in
Finland, Minnesota, nestled in the woods between Lake
Superior and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area, our office
lunches and snacks are always organic, as you might expect.
We purchase food from our local food co-ops and Community
Supported Agriculture (CSA) buying club.
Our refrigerators and pantry contain seasonal produce, eggs,
wild rice, home-brewed beer, fermented vegetables and maple
syrup, produced or harvested by our staff or neighbors.
We also stock organic and fair trade-certified chocolate
bars, tea and coffee, with donations for these products
going to support our local community center, where we hold
potlucks and occasional meetings.
But the most popular section of our fridge in the kitchen
area of the OCA office is the milk and dairy section where
we have non-pasteurized, non-homogenized raw milk, yoghurt,
cream and butter, purchased directly from a local grass-fed,
organic dairy. Although our raw milk products (in reusable
glass Mason jars) do not carry a USDA organic seal, we all
know, because we regularly visit the local organic farmer
that we buy from, that these products are not only organic,
grass-fed, delicious and healthy, but in fact better than
the pasteurized and/or homogenized USDA certified organic
dairy products sold in our local food coops.
We advocate that consumers buy certified organic products
whenever possible. But for consumers in Minnesota and
other states, where you can’t walk into your grocery
store and buy raw milk, we feel it’s time to explain why we
believe grass-fed raw milk and dairy products, whether
certified or not, are actually better for you, better for
the animals, and better for the planet than any other dairy
products.
By all means, keep buying and consuming organic foods, today
and every day, and boycott GMO and factory-farmed products.
But also keep in mind that raw milk and dairy (which are
always grass-fed rather than raised on feedlots and GMO
grain) are among the best foods you can buy.
What’s on the label?
If you read and compare the labels of commercial milk brands
sold in supermarkets, and produced by cows raised on
feedlots homogenized and fed grain, chances are there are
two words that those labels will have in common: pasteurized
and homogenized. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) warns that raw milk should go through these
processing methods. Otherwise, the CDC says, you might
expose yourself to diseases and
foodborne illnesses.
But is there any truth to these claims?
Let’s further examine pasteurization and homogenization to
shed more light on what these practices do to dairy
products, and your health.
What is pasteurization?
Pasteurization is the process of heating a liquid to below
the boiling point to destroy harmful pathogens in it. It was
developed in 1856 by Louis Pasteur initially to prevent
fermented wine from spoiling and turning to vinegar.
Pasteur determined the exact time and temperature required
to eliminate the harmful microorganisms in the wine while
still retaining the wine’s flavor. He patented the
technique.
It wasn’t until the late 1800s that milk was commercially
pasteurized. Europe adopted pasteurization first, followed
by the U.S. in the early 1900s. The need for milk
pasteurization arose because of increased production and
distribution, which led to outbreaks of milkborne illnesses,
including typhoid fever, scarlet fever, diphtheria diarrhea
and other gastrointestinal diseases.
According to
Milk Facts, there are two reasons why milk is
pasteurized:
“1. To increase milk safety for the consumer by destroying
disease causing microorganisms (pathogens) that may be
present in milk.
2. To increase keeping (sic) the quality of milk products by
destroying spoilage microorganisms and enzymes that
contribute to the reduced quality and shelf life of milk."
The original pasteurization method, known as vat
pasteurization, simply involved heating milk (or other
liquids) in a large tank for at least 30 minutes. This is
now only used for preparing milk for making starter
cultures, as well as in the processing of cheese,
buttermilk, yogurt and some ice cream mixes.
Today, the most common
methods of pasteurization are High Temperature Short
Time (HTST) pasteurization, Higher Heat Shorter Time (HHST)
pasteurization, and Ultra Pasteurization. HTST uses metal
plates and hot water to increase milk temperatures to at
least 161 degrees Fahrenheit for no less than 15 seconds,
followed by rapid cooling. HHST follows the same process,
but with slightly different equipment, a higher temperature,
and a shorter time. Meanwhile, Ultra Pasteurization products
are heated to no less than 280 degrees Fahrenheit for two
seconds, resulting in milk with longer shelf-life, but still
needing refrigeration.
Aside from wine and dairy products, other
products that are commonly pasteurized today include
beer, honey, almonds, fruit juices, eggs, and some brands of
kimchi and sauerkraut.
At a glance, it seems like an efficient and cutting-edge
technique. But the question remains: Does your milk still
need to be pasteurized?
Pasteurization became routine because of unsanitary
CAFO practices
During the early 20th century, the increase in livestock in
industrial dairy farms led to unsanitary and poor hygiene
practices. This resulted in the rampant spread of
disease-causing bacteria to become rampant, which
contaminated the milk and infected people. That was the main
reason why pasteurization became widespread.
Today, most commercial milk that comes from confined animal
feeding operations (CAFOs) still needs to be pasteurized
because the conditions in these overcrowded farms have
worsened exponentially, leading CAFOs becoming hotbeds for
pathogenic bacteria contamination.
What’s more, CAFO cows are fed antibiotics in order to
“combat” the proliferation of diseases. In fact,
80 percent of the antibiotics used in the U.S. are given
to livestock and poultry. This compounds the problem, as the
overuse of antibiotics leads to antibiotic-resistance,
creating stronger pathogenic bacteria that can cause a
litany of diseases.
Pasteurization is an outdated practice. If federal
government agencies like the U.S. Food & Drug Administration
(FDA) would properly regulate the dairy industry and uphold
safety measures for natural livestock farming, allowing
animals to live and grow the way nature intended, we could
do away with pasteurization.
What about homogenization?
Homogenization is an entirely separate process that’s
usually done after pasteurization. The first patent of a
homogenizer was in 1899 by Auguste Gaulin. Gaulin’s
homogenizer consisted of a 3-piston pump in which the
milk was forced through one or more hair-like tubes under
pressure. But why exactly does milk need to be homogenized?
When you buy unhomogenized milk, you’ll notice that the milk
fat will separate and form a layer of cream above the rest
of the milk. You will need to shake the bottle to mix them
together again. Homogenization prevents this from occurring.
This fairly newer technology (compared to pasteurization) is
done entirely for aesthetic purposes.
When milk is homogenized, it is pushed through a fine filter
at very high pressures (4,000 pounds per square inch). This
causes the fat globules to become 10 times (or more)
smaller, and allows them to be evenly dispersed and
suspended throughout the milk.
Today, homogenization is said to be useful to
large-scale dairy farms, as the process lets them to mix
milk from different herds. Like pasteurization,
homogenization prolongs the shelf-life of milk, so it can be
safely shipped to other places. It also makes it easy for
dairy farms to filter out the fat and create two percent,
one percent, and skim milk.
Yet, many
natural experts say that homogenization is “the worst
thing dairymen did to dairy.”
The truth is both homogenization and pasteurization can have
severe repercussions not only on the quality of milk, but on
your health as well.
The unseen, damaging effects of pasteurization and
homogenization
When you drink milk that has gone through these processes,
you’re basically getting a “dead” beverage that is lacking
in nutrients. Although pasteurized and homogenized organic
milk is certainly better than non-organic milk, organic
grass-fed raw milk is even better. The nutritional bottom
line is that pasteurization and homogenization destroy
nutrients and proteins, make healthy fats rancid, and cause
free radicals to form in the body. They denature milk by
altering its chemical structure.
When milk undergoes pasteurization, enzymes like lactase,
galactase, and phosphate, essential for the assimilation of
nutrients like lactose, galactase, and phosphate
respectively, are
destroyed. Without these, milk becomes very difficult to
digest. In fact, the lack of lactase in pasteurized milk is
the cause of lactose intolerance. Unfortunately, the
pancreas cannot produce these enzymes, so it becomes
overstressed–a risk factor for diabetes and other diseases.
Pasteurization also diminishes the
vitamins in milk, such as B6, B12, and C. It kills
beneficial bacteria essential in digestion, leading to
constipation. What’s more, the pathogenic bacteria killed by
pasteurization are
not removed, so their dead cell fragments remain in the
milk, igniting immune reactions that cause milk allergies.
A
Harvard study found that pasteurized milk from CAFOs may
contain dangerously high levels of estrone sulfate, an
estrogen compound that is linked to testicular, prostate and
breast cancer.
Meanwhile, homogenization affects the structure of proteins
in raw milk. When the fat molecules become smaller, they
become “capsules” for substances that can bypass digestion.
Proteins, for instance, are not broken down as they
should be, and end up becoming absorbed in the bloodstream.
This can lead to a reaction against the arterial wall, to
which the body responds to by creating a layer of
cholesterol as a form of protection. When this happens
regularly, long-term risks may arise. Homogenized milk
proteins may also resemble a human protein and trigger
autoimmune diseases, like multiple sclerosis (MS) and
diabetes.
A widely held popular
theory by Dr. Kurt A. Oster, which was studied from the
early 1960s until the mid-1980s, also claims that
homogenization can lead to heart disease. Dr. Oster believed
that the enzyme xanthin oxidase (XO), created during
homogenization, ends up in heart and arterial tissue and
destroys the protective membrane called plasmogen, leading
to arterial lesions and plaque formation.
Bottom line: Raw milk is the healthiest choice
Given these damaging effects, it should be clear that
there’s no other healthier choice than raw milk from
pasture-raised, grass-fed cows raised on clean and well-run
farms. Not only are the nutrients and proteins in this milk
intact, but raw milk and cheese make from raw milk contain
good bacteria that are essential for a healthy digestion and
offer protection against disease-causing bacteria. Plus,
raw milk:
• Is loaded with
more than 60 digestive enzymes, growth factors, and
immunoglobulins (antibodies)
• Is rich in cancer-fighting conjugated
linoleic acid (CLA); it also boosts metabolism
• Contains beneficial raw fats, vitamins (A,B,
C, D, E, and K), proteins, and amino acids, all in a highly
bioavailable and digestible form
• Has a balanced blend of minerals like
calcium, iron, phosphorus, and magnesium that are
well-absorbed by the body, thanks to live
lactobacilli
Sadly, raw milk is routinely vilified by government
health agencies today, and is dubbed a “threat to public
health.” This despite the fact that
CDC data shows that 412 people became ill because of
pasteurized and homogenized milk, but only 116 illnesses
were linked to raw milk.
Remember that where your milk comes from has a significant
impact on its quality and safety. It’s best to get your raw
milk from a local organic farm to ensure that you’re getting
a safe, high-quality product. Keep an eye out for these
factors:
• Low pathogenic
bacteria count (the farmer tests his milk regularly for
pathogens)
• Cows are grass-fed and raised naturally, in
accordance with the seasons, and are not given antibiotics
and growth hormones
• The milk is immediately chilled after milking
Can’t find raw milk? Go for organic,
grass-fed milk
Although most U.S. states allow some form of
raw milk sales, many people still find it hard to source
this product. In fact, it is the only food banned in
interstate commerce in the country. For this reason,
many consumers cannot get their hands on raw milk. If you
live in a state where it’s hard to find raw milk, the best
alternative is organic, grass-fed milk.
Compared to conventionally produced milk from CAFO cows,
organic milk is significantly superior from a
nutritional standpoint, as the farmers are required to
follow organic farming methods, such as providing their cows
with a natural, grass-based, 100-percent organic diet. The
livestock do not receive growth hormones or pesticide-laden
GMO feed, and they are not pushed beyond their natural
limits.
A grain-based diet changes a cow’s body composition, such
as altering their balance of essential fats. One study
demonstrates this: an international team of experts led by
Newcastle University in U.K. found that both organic milk
and meat have around
50 percent more beneficial omega-3 fatty acids than
their conventionally produced counterparts.
The team reviewed 196 papers on milk and 67 papers on meat,
and saw that the fatty acid composition and concentration of
certain essential minerals and antioxidants have a striking
difference from those in conventional milk. The findings of
this
study, the largest of its kind, were published in the
British Journal of Nutrition.
Another
research, conducted in 2013, revealed that organic milk
contained 25 percent less omega-6 fats and 62 percent more
omega-3 fats than conventional milk. This included all types
of omega-3 fats: linolenic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid
(EPA), and docosapentaenoic acid (DHA). The
researchers also observed that test subjects who drank
conventional milk over a one-year period had a 2.5 higher
omega-6 to omega-3 ratio than those who drank organic milk.
This
imbalance can set the stage for a number of health
problems like cardiovascular disease, cancer, depression,
diabetes, and Alzheimers’ disease.
However, keep in mind that most organic milk in the U.S. is
still pasteurized and homogenized, which may damage some of
their nutrients. So if you have a choice, and if you can
access it, always go for high-quality raw milk.
As with any food, the most natural always beats processed,
so opt for raw milk instead of pasteurized and homogenized
milk. The benefits are astounding, plus you’ll get a
multitude of nutrients that you won’t find in any other
beverage.
Take Action: Tell Congress: Consumers Want the Right
to Choose Raw Milk!
Ronnie Cummins is international director of the
Organic Consumers Association.
Elaine Catherine R. Ferrer is a contributing writer to the
Organic Consumers Association and
Mercola.com.