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Can we stomach raw milk?Raw milk has its fans and even a lobbying group in Washington, D.C., that is pushing for sale of non-pasteurized dairy products. They claim that enzymes and other nutrients are reduced in pasteurized milk and it degrades the taste. Public health officials counter that unprocessed milk carries an increased risk for bacterial contamination. They both have valid arguments, but there is a lot more to the debate than just allowing the public to drink milk "au naturel" as it comes from the mammalian donor. Milk is viewed as the purest of all foods. From our mothers it was life and it was raw. The issue here is the time and distance from the teat to the tummy. It is also the question of liability to the producer and distributor and the responsibility of government. Our society does not operate as it did in the mid-20th century when most farm people, and many in small towns, drank raw cow's milk without any concern at all. Since that golden era, we've changed on the outside and on the inside as our improving level of food safety has eliminated resistance to many of the harmful bacteria that can grow quickly in raw milk. Those who grew up in a less sterile environment gained their first immunity from their mother's milk and then built it up as they were exposed to bacteria and viruses in food, air and water. The result was that those who were weak died, and those who were strong lived a healthier life. Are you ready to go back to that? My father told of his brother who died of "summer complaint" at 18 months of age in the year 1901. His mother usually nursed her children for two years, but she was pregnant with another child and had to wean him early. The older children were able to handle the raw cow's milk and contaminated well water, but the bacteria level was too much for the child, and as my father, who lived to be 92, said matter-of-factly: "He died." I contend that we can't accept such an outcome today. The Food and Drug Administration and its state derivatives have set up a system that effectively reduces contamination to the point that there is a huge outcry when it occurs. However, it always seems that we want what we can't have, so there is a lucrative market for raw milk. I can understand why it is attractive to adults who remember the taste of milk from their youth and for foodies who think anything done to food is bad. When I was on the farm, we bought from a Guernsey dairy a few miles away. Mrs. McMahan would dip right out of the bulk tank for us to take home in a gallon glass jar. The milk was golden, and the taste was sweet and satisfying. Today, the owners of the livestock may consume their milk raw, but they can't sell it in that form in 23 states. The political machine is kicking in, and lawmakers in seven states, including Iowa, Missouri, and Wisconsin, have introduced measures to change the law. The legislation died in legislative committee in Iowa, but the two sides exchanged shots. Raw milk proponents say people want it and the unprocessed milk should be legal. The opposition, including the Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey, respond: "We feel we have acted within our authority under the Iowa code." Translation: "Not worth the risk." The way some dairy farmers are getting unprocessed milk to consumers is to sell them a share of the cow. The states are countering, so the hard-core advocates are now "bootlegging" milk. I never thought I'd see this, although I love high-butterfat milk that has been poured into a glass jar and chilled. The golden cream rises to fill the top third, and the richness and freshness is absolutely wonderful. However, my wife's reaction to my bringing it home from a farm near Hutchinson, Kan., when we had kids in grade school was: "That stuff is going to kill us!" I don't see the food safety folks giving in on this one. Even though much of the milk in the world is consumed without pasteurization or homogenization, it is a mark of an advancing society that we protect the public from foodborne illness. U.S. dairy farms are under extreme scrutiny to keep the bacteria count down in the milk they sell to processors. It is then heated to kill any remaining contaminants and to extend its shelf life. There is another "extra-high temperature" process that allows milk to be shipped and stored without refrigeration. All of this degrades the taste, but the argument as to whether it decreases the health benefits rages on. If you want fresh eggs, pork and milk, all you have to do is find an unzoned area and grow your own. It takes a lot of labor, but unlike many things in our society, feeding yourself is not illegal; it's just illegal to sell to others without complying with government regulations. Editor's Note: Ken Root is an independent agricultural journalist. He was named the 2009 Farm Broadcaster of the Year and was the 2008 winner of the Oscar in Agriculture. He is an Oklahoma native and an experienced print, radio and television journalist. He has spent the last five years as Lead Farm Broadcaster at WHO Radio in Des Moines, Iowa. He and his wife Gail have two adult children and two grandchildren.
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