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WHY NOT RAW MILK?
Last time I stood before the grocery store's gleaming milk
aisle I incurred a mild panic attack because I realized I had no
understanding why I was paying more money for organic milk.
I could feel myself getting scammed, especially after reading
The Omnivore's Dilemma and discovering my preferred brand
was milking me out of money with its eco-sounding marketing
jargon.
Fed up and frustrated, I began to wonder what kind of milk
George Washington drank, and why our society must suffer
being inundated with a multi-shelved array of different types
of milk. Buoyed by my newfound skepticism, I decided I wasn't
paying top dollar for "industrial organic" argot any longer and
began looking for local milk, fresh from the teat.
What I wanted was unpasteurized milk, which I soon dis
covered I wouldn't be getting. In the state of Georgia, the
sale of unpasteurized milk is illegal for human consumption.
George Washington probably drank it, but we can't, because
we've evolved to discover that unpasteurized milk, fresh and
pure though it may seem, is a breeding ground for bacteria.
Georgia law requires milk to be heated for a set amount of time
in order to destroy dangerous bacteria such as E. coli, Campy
lobacter and salmonella, which could cause food-borne illness.
Pasteurization, an undeniably beneficial invention, became
the standard for milk production in the 1920s, a time when
people were moving into developing cities and farther away
from farms. Milk tainted with tuberculosis and other diseases
caused health problems on a massive scale. Pasteurization
saved the day, virtually eliminating all inherent pathogens.
Milk could now be transported farther, last longer and be con
sumed with peace of mind.
On the whole, the prolonged shelf-life of pathogen-free
milk sounds like a really good thing, unless you're not a fan
of industry or agribusiness. Pasteurization has assisted in
eliminating many a food-borne illness, but at the cost of sani
tary and ethical farming practices. Cows are now commonly
crammed into confinement lots and live amidst their own feces
(even in the organic milk industry). They are injected with
hormones designed to increase lactation and are treated with
antibiotics on a regular basis. They are also fed grain when
their stomachs require grass. These methods of dairy farm
ing necessitate pasteurization and facilitate unsound fanning
practices.
The growing disapproval of industrial farming methods has
fostered the support of traditional agrarian farming, especially
in Athens, where one can find local and organic vegetables,
meat, eggs and, if one is clever enough, unpasteurized milk.
The reasons people may do so vary, however. Dr. Jan Southers,
DVM, owner of Hope Springs Farm in Colbert, explains why
she believes unpasteurized milk is nutritionally superior to
pasteurized.
"When you pasteurize milk, you change the proteins in the
milk," Dr. Southers says. "The heating of raw milk destroys
beneficial microorganisms There are a lot of good proteins in
unpasteurized milk that you're not getting."
Indeed, when I looked at all the various health claims listed
on the Weston A. Price Foundation's website associated with
raw milk consumption, I wondered whether drinking unpas
teurized milk might be a risk worth taking. The organization
currently campaigns for "real milk," claiming on their website
that pasteurization destroys enzymes, diminishes vitamin
content, denatures fragile milk proteins, destroys vitamins C,
B12 and B6; it kills beneficial bacteria, promotes pathogens
and is associated with allergies, increased tooth decay, colic
in infants, growth problems in children, osteoporosis, arthri
tis, heart disease and cancer. The foundation asserts that
human beings achieve perfect health only when they "consume
nutrient-dense whole foods and the vital fat-soluble activators
found exclusively in animal fats."
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's website www.fda.
gov/Food, however, warns that "raw milk is inherently danger
ous and it should not be consumed by anyone at any time for
any purpose." The FDA also maintains that "research shows no
meaningful difference in the
nutritional values of pasteurized
and unpasteurized milk." Yet the
argument of whether or not raw
milk is nutritionally superior to
pasteurized milk isn't as much a
concern with Dr. Southers as the
fact that the sale of raw milk for
human consumption is illegal.
She believes that people should
have the right to make the
choice themselves.
"I don't .have a problem with
people that want to buy their
milk from Wal-Mart," she says,
"but if I want to take the chance
of drinking raw milk because I
think the benefits outweigh the
risks, then I should be able to.
When did the government come
by the right to tell me what I
can and can't eat?"
Dr. Warren Gilson, Associate
Professor of Animal and Dairy
Science at the University of
Georgia, disagrees. He explains that the majority of people
don't know what the potential dangers in raw milk are. "People
who are consuming raw milk are consuming a ticking time
bomb," he says "It might never go off, but it may, and if it
does, they could obtain some serious health problems." Dr.
Gilson maintains that legalizing the sale of raw milk could be
dangerous. "The government is trying to mandate the health
of the people," he says, and he stands 100 percent behind
pasteurization.
Yet there are some people who would rather mandate their
own health, such as the man, who wishes to be anonymous
here, who purchases and consumes unpasteurized milk. He
does so because he "likes the idea of supporting sound farming
practices," and because he "likes eating food that is as un-
tampered-with as possible." He also expresses the increasingly
popular Athenian desire to "participate in something that turns
away from agribusiness and industry and be a part of a move
ment that fosters the old ways of farming."
If you want to do the same you have limited options,
none of which are convenient. You could commute to South
Carolina dairies or find a farmer who is willing to quietly sell
unpasteurized milk under the table or purchase unpasteurized
milk labeled "For Pet Consumption Only" (which is not recom
mended). You will also have to forego the government's guar
antee of a safe product in exchange for a farmer's guarantee.
It is a risk, but if we continue to rely on the government
to mandate our health, we may lose the freedom to support
caring and confident small farmers, along with the right to
enjoy a food at its freshest stage. One such farmer who sup
plies friends, family and himself with the unpasteurized milk
from his Jersey cows says, "Don't call it raw milk. Calling it raw
milk implies it isn't good enough the way nature made it, like
it needs to be cooked or something. Call it fresh milk, please,
because that's what it is."
Annie Kelley
4th Anniversary
PARTY
October 10 from 1-4
PET PHOTOS, FOOD & FUN!
Proceeds to benefit ‘Athens Canine ReStcST
www.zdogbakery.com
706-354-1804
DAVID W. GRIFFETH,
Attorney
announces the relocation of his law office
to Downtown in the Fred Building
220 College Ave. Ste. 612,
Athens, Georgia
(706) 353-1360
«lormei location i)'»7 Baxter St
Admitted to the Bar of the United
States Supreme Court since 1976*
•And lesser courts
Specializing in Personal Injury, Wrongful Death,
Criminal Defense, Credit Card/Debt Relief, DUI,
Drug Cases and more.
Listed in Error in the AT&T Bellsouth
Phone Book under “Law Office”
www.DavidWGriffeth.com
COME SEE THE EXPANDED UPSTAIRS - NOW WITH A POOL TABLE!
114 COLLEGE AVENUE
ACROSS
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22 Mania! law upheld without rest sluice by
Eisenhower
23. Fallout can be expected bum thu type of family
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SEPTEMBER 30.2009 • FLAGPOLE.COM 9