FDA and CDC Remind Consumers of the Dangers of Drinking Raw Milk

[The Straight Story]

FDA and CDC Remind Consumers of the Dangers of Drinking Raw Milk

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are reminding consumers of the dangers of drinking milk that has not been pasteurized, known as raw milk. Raw milk potentially contains a wide variety of harmful bacteria – including Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7, Listeria, Campylobacter and Brucella – that may cause illness and possibly death.

Consuming raw milk may be harmful to health. From 1998 to May 2005 CDC identified 45 outbreaks of foodborne illness that implicated unpasteurized milk, or cheese made from unpasteurized milk. These outbreaks accounted for 1,007 illnesses, 104 hospitalizations, and two deaths. This is based on information in CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report for the week of March 2, 2007. The actual number of illnesses was almost certainly higher because not all cases of illness are recognized and reported.

....

Proponents of drinking raw milk often claim that raw milk is more nutritious than pasteurized milk and that raw milk is inherently antimicrobial, thus making pasteurization unnecessary. Research has shown that these claims are myths. There is no meaningful nutritional difference between pasteurized and raw milk, and raw milk does not contain compounds that will kill harmful bacteria.

In fact, raw milk, no matter how carefully produced, may be unsafe. The CDC, the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments, the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture, the Association of Food and Drug Officials and other organizations have endorsed the pasteurization of milk and restriction of the sale of products containing raw milk. Because even pasteurized milk contains low levels of nonpathogenic bacteria that can cause food to spoil, it is important to keep pasteurized milk refrigerated.

http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2007/NEW01576.html

[Richard D]

1. Been drinking it for 30 years . . .

. . . and never even a bad burp.

[kestrel91316]

3. Yeah, but I betcha you're REAL careful who you get it from, right?

Just imagine if evey Tom, Dick, and Harry could stroll the streets of our cities peddling raw milk from their own cow..............

The average dumb sucker wouldn't have a clue how to minimize his risk of illness. And before regulation of dairy products, the average consumer routinely got TB from milk. My grandmother was one.

[Richard D]

4. Yes

Very careful. The dairy I get the milk from uses only milk from organic-pasture fed cows and is very clean and very regulated.

[kestrel91316]

5. Altadena? I didn't know they still sold raw milk. I remember when I

first came to SoCal they still had their little drive-thru dairy kiosks............

[Richard D]

6. Organic Pastures

An amazing company. All organic and pasture fed. To minimize stress on the cows they developed a movable milking truck that goes out into the pastures where the cows are. Everything that they do is super clean, and they even have hydrogen powered delivery trucks. http://organicpastures.com/
Kosher too.

[kestrel91316]

7. Do they sell it (the raw milk) at Ralph's or Von's or Whole Foods?

[Richard D]

8. Whole Foods . . .

. . . and the now bought by Whole Foods but still existing Wild Oats. A number of the smaller natural food stores also carry it. You can also mail order direct from the website. I believe it's shipped frozen. They have a some info about freezing in their FAQ.

[kestrel91316]

11. There's a "Whole Paycheck" near me. Now that I think about it, I think

I noticed the raw milk there a while ago and did a double-take.

I didn't realize there was still a commercial market in it.

[Richard D]

12. Do a taste test

It's so superior to other milks. Try a couple of brands and the Organic Pastures. Amazing difference, at least to me.

[Faux pas]

2. Since I don't use raw milk, I don't care what they have to say

about it. It's all the drugs that get approval that worry me, the ones that can kill you or anyone you might care about. Maybe they can outsource those two agencies too. Sheesh.

Did you see this?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x326953

[Forkboy]

9. Guess now I'll have to stop drinking it straight from the teats

:(

[BlooInBloo]

10. I'm all carnivore & drink about 1/2 gallon+ of milk/day. But that's gross. lol!

Different strokes for different folks, I suppose.

[orleans]

13. i was going to happily put up the following picture (which i am still putting up)

but, in the course of finding it, ran across a rather disturbing article
http://www.mindfully.org/Farm/2005/Dean-Horizon-NOT-Organic16feb05.htm

so now i have to explore this whole thing....
crap! just when i thought i was happy about this brand of milk i have been drinking lately--and currently.

[Lethe]

14. raw milk products taste better IMO

and they keep longer than pasteurized.

Plus, you can get sick from pasteurized milk and other pasteurized products....so whats the point?

[depakid]

15. E. coli outbreak in southwestern Washington highlights risks of raw milk

December 15, 2005

An outbreak of E. coli infections in Clark and Cowlitz counties have been linked to consumption of raw milk prompting the Washington State Department of Health to remind consumers of the health hazards of unpastuerized dairy products.

The outbreak has left five children hospitalized — three with possible kidney failure as a result of E. coli infection.

E. coli O157:H7 infection may cause severe diarrhea, abdominal cramps and bloody stool. Mild diarrhea with little or no fever may also occur. In some people — particularly children under five years of age — the infection can cause a complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome. This is a serious disease in which red blood cells are destroyed and the kidneys fail. Symptoms generally appear three to four days after exposure, but can take as long as nine days to appear. Anyone experiencing these symptoms should contact their health care provider.

http://www.doh.wa.gov/Publicat/2005_news/05-164.htm

From the Washington State Department of Agriculture:

There are many misconceptions about the sale of raw milk in Washington State. Here are answers to some frequently asked questions we receive:

Q: Is it safe to consume raw milk or raw milk products?

A: Raw milk is a potentially hazardous product. While some people regularly consume raw milk products with no ill-effect, illnesses and deaths associated with the consumption of raw milk occur every year. Those most at risk are children, the elderly, pregnant women and anyone with a compromised immune system.

Some organisms that can occur in raw milk and cause illness include Salmonella, E. coli 0157:H7, Campylobacter jejuni and Listeria monocytogenes.

Pasteurization destroys these harmful organisms. Because of this risk, all retail raw milk products sold in Washington must bear this label.

“WARNING: This product has not been pasteurized and may contain harmful bacteria. Pregnant women, children, the elderly and persons with lowered resistance to disease have the highest risk of harm from use of this product.”

More on the regulatory requirements: http://agr.wa.gov/FoodAnimal/Dairy/docs/RawMilkTruth.pdf