Environmental Law Blog
Got Raw Milk?
Raw milk and products made with it are those that have not gone through the pasteurization process. Pasteurization kills harmful organisms by heating the milk to a specific temperature for a set length of time.
In addition to bacteria found in raw milk that may cause illness, it also may be contaminated with E. coli, which can produce toxins that cause a condition called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). HUS is a serious, life-threatening complication that can cause severe, bloody diarrhea, injury to the kidneys and kidney failure. Half of all people with HUS-related diarrhea require dialysis, and three to five percent of these people die. Overall, HUS occurs in about 10 percent of those infected with E. coli. This condition can be especially serious in young children, senior adults and people with weakened immune systems.
Raw milk products can also carry Listeria bacteria that put pregnant women and their unborn or newborn children at risk. Listeria can cause miscarriage, fetal death or illness or death of a newborn. These bacteria can also put the unborn baby at risk even if the mother does not feel ill. Additionally, raw milk can also carry bacteria that cause typhoid fever, tuberculosis, diphtheria and brucellosis.
Raw milk products that should be considered unsafe include soft cheeses such as Brie and Camembert, and Mexican-style soft cheeses such as Queso Fresco, Panela, Asadero and Queso Blanco, unless they are made from pasteurized milk. Other products that could be considered unsafe if made from unpasteurized milk include cream, yogurt, pudding, ice cream and frozen yogurt.
Some people believe that consuming raw milk and raw milk products have benefits over consuming pasteurized milk and milk products, like greater nutritional value, vitamins that are present naturally rather than added, and even protection against tooth decay. Research, however, has shown no benefit from raw milk over pasteurized milk.
Section 196.935 says that only pasteurized graded fluid milk and fluid milk products shall be sold to the final consumer (or to restaurants, soda fountains, grocery stores, or similar establishments) except that an individual may purchase and have delivered to him for his own use raw milk or cream from a farm.
Technorati Tags: E coli, HUS, Listeria, agriculture, bacteria, hemolytic uremic syndrome, pasteurization, raw milk, milk, moagoenvironmentallaw, environmental law, environmental protection
Posted by on July 18, 2008 8:00 am :: Comments (2) :: Permalink
2 Responses to "Got Raw Milk?"
says:
August 8, 2008 2:32 pm
This is a selective and biased-sounding presentation of information. There is a large body of work, and vast number of personal stories, that indicates that raw milk is not only safe, but beneficial in many ways that are destroyed by the pasteurization process.
It's a common pitfall of our modern society to lean too heavily on a standardized process like pasteurization, assume it takes care of all our worries, and then close our minds off to any further information. Raw milk can be unsafe the same way anything in life can be unsafe, including pasteurized milk--through lack of care in the process.
I would guess that raw milk producers, on the whole, care more about and are more attentive to the process they use to make milk, whereas large industrial operations are inherently unclean and unsafe, and must pile up many artificial processes and substances just to remain borderline safe for consumers. Which sounds more natural to you?
For those who'd like to break the pattern of industrialized big-agriculture and learn more, visit http://www.realmilk.com/.
I have personally consumed raw milk and raw milk cheeses for some time now, with no ill effects but instead benefits to health, environment, and peace of mind.
says:
September 30, 2008 12:12 am
How do you find out in what country Nestle Carnation Evaporated Milk is made in? There is no such information on the label.
Answer:
The United States Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) considers a food to be misbranded if it does not bear a label containing "the name and place of business of the manufacturer, packer, or distributor." 21 USC § 343(e). The regulation does not tell us whether the label for a food that is manufactured abroad, but distributed by a domestic company, is required to identify the country of origin.
Under a new regulation issued by the United States Agriculture Department, grocery stores will be required to identify the country of origin for meats, produce and certain nuts. Unfortunately, the new regulation does not address dairy products or evaporated milk. The best advice we can give you is to contact Nestle at the phone number listed on your Nestle product.
Thank you for your comment.
