There’s an editorial in the Minnesota Star-Tribune whose argument against raw milk is that raw milk drinkers are too uppity—that because we think raw milk is superior to dead milk, we must also think that we’re superior to dead milk drinkers! Yes, those are their words:
There’s a dangerous sense of superiority shared by Minnesotans who buy raw milk and serve it to their families.
Even if we did have a sense of superiority, which I don’t think we do, what makes that inherently dangerous? It’s not like we’re advocating on behalf of pathogens, which is what this irresponsible editorial would have you think. What’s dangerous is having the eating population think for themselves because we can draw conclusions that differ from the FDA and USDA.
The editorial goes on to cite a few examples of bad conditions at farms I wouldn’t buy milk from, but never mentioning the kinds of farms I would. They do not mention the stings on farms that have had no incidents nor out-of-compliance conditions. They don’t mention the millions of people who drink raw milk and have never had a health issue, who have in fact, noticed improvements to their health.
It cites studies, largely funded by those who stand to gain from the sale of pasteurized milk. Because as people know, corporations and politicians are far more credible than nature.
Is this what passes for journalism today—marginalizing a niche group by antagonizing the rest of the population?
As we have been saying long before the USDA caught on: know your farmer and know your food.
h/t to David.
Update: I wanted to add this information to the mix (h/t to Don):
Every year in the US there are:
- 12,000 deaths from unnecessary surgeries;
- 7,000 deaths from medication errors in hospitals;
- 20,000 deaths from other errors in hospitals;
- 80,000 deaths from infections acquired in hospitals;
- 106,000 deaths from FDA-approved correctly prescribed medicines.
- The total of medically-caused deaths in the US every year is 225,000.
This makes the medical system the third leading cause of death in the US, behind heart disease and cancer.
So, why isn’t this being pursued with the same fervor?
I don’t personally consume raw dairy but strongly support its availability. What a sad commentary that anyone over 18 can buy tobacco but in many states cannot purchase raw milk.
By all means require a warning sign be posted the way sushi restaurants have to warn their customers about the potential risks of consuming raw fish. Folks should have the information needed to make an informed decision for themselves. But the government shouldn’t be the one making that judgment call. That should be left up to the individual.
I get this same garbage with homeschooling. Just because I choose a different path for my kids some people think I think I’m above them.
Funny those who supplement their food intake with a daily multivitamin are not judged by others for trying to be more nutritionally complete in their diet.
I wonder if those who think raw milk drinkers are uppity also think those who go on a diet to lose weight and be more heallthy are being uppity.
Weird.
I’m not likely to drink a lot of raw milk — simply because I don’t know any dairy farmers and I would not want to get it from a supplier that I do know not. Pasteurized milk takes the mystery out of it, I guess — I figure that the industrialized factory milk I drink won’t kill me because it has gone through a basic sterilization process. (Though who knows what else finds its way into the milk through the practices of modern dairy farming.)
But this is a good way to think about the problem — I’m so far away from the soil, the farm and food production that I’ve lost the ability to personal judge the quality and safety of the food that I eat. I have to rely on ag safety inspections. Maybe some day I’ll have chickens in the shed and a goat changed up to the back stoop, but until then …
On the other hand, it is a bit puzzling why the FDA wants to prevent raw milk from being transported over borders. This must be a dairy industry thing. Is it that industrial dairies just aren’t comfortable with smaller operations entering their markets?