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  1. Feb 4 by lrobinson5
    From the AP: "An outbreak of bacterial infections on the East Coast illustrates the popularity of raw, unpasteurized milk despite strong warnings from public health officials about the potential danger."

    http://www.nhregister.com/articles/2012/02/03/news/doc4f2c9d9550b60169087258.txt

    Am I missing something? I live in California and to me this is insane. I know that before Pasteur that is the way everyone had milk, but for goodness sake, must we spit on every public health advancement this decade?
    Not_A_Hat_Person likes this.

  2. 6 Comments so far...

  3. Feb 8 by chuckster
    Raw (unpasteurized) milk is not particularly dangerous IF the source of the milk is a dairy that takes their responsibilities seriously, as nearly all do. In the past, the most dangerous potential pathogen was tuberculosis bacilli and because of that, all of the 22 states that permit raw milk sales have strict requirements for tuberculin testing of herds. These days, most of the problems come from salmonella and listeria but as you know, these pathogens are responsible for a lot of food poisoning generally, not just from dairy products. Very, very few of these incidents are from raw milk.

    While pasteurization is reasonably effective, it is far from fully effective and there are many more incidents of food poisoning traced to pasteurized milk than to raw milk. Of course, this is primarily because the numbers of raw milk drinkers are small compared to pasteurized milk drinkers but the point is that each has some level of risk. One of the arguments for raw milk is that it forces farmers to pay close attention to their herds in everything from food to hygiene. Milch cows producing for raw milk farmers get grass and silage, are minimally confined, are kept in much cleaner housing and are tested regularly. This is not always the case (sadly, it's rarely the case) for cows from other farms.

    I'm personally not sold on the concept that raw milk is more beneficial than pasteurized (though milk from grass-fed cows is healthier, even if it's pasteurized) but I can state unequivocally that it tastes much better. Most pasteurized milk is a pale imitation of what milk really tastes like. When we were kids, my dad, who was as far from a health food nut as you can get, would occasionally take us to visit the dairy farm that delivered to our house (these were the days of milkmen, glass bottles and unhomogenized milk). This farm milked all their cows by hand because they believed that the cows were more productive and lived longer by doing this and they would also allow visitors to milk the cows. The real treat was when they would take milk directly from the stainless milk pail and give us a taste. There's really nothing like it. We always wound up buying a couple of bottles of raw milk to take home (the milk they delivered was pasteurized).

    If you are still not ready to take the plunge and try raw milk, you can get closer to the taste by finding a dairy with a grass-fed herd that uses the low-temperature pasteurization process (most dairies use the high-temp process because it takes less time). While any pasteurization process effects the taste of milk significantly, the low temp process is less destructive to some of the flavor components and results in a much, much better tasting glass of milk. You'll pay for the extra flavor and health benefits - milk from grass-fed cows is much higher in linoleic fatty acids - and is worth the extra cost (it's about double the usual stuff).

    In short, though I don't regularly drink raw milk, there's really no good reason for a reasonably healthy person to shy away from it.
    lrobinson5 likes this.
  4. Feb 8 by lrobinson5
    See, this is why I asked. I don't think there is anything like the products you just described anywhere around here. I didn't know they offered lower heat pasteurization or the option to buy milk from grass fed cows. Maybe some of the organic milks are from grass fed cows?
  5. Feb 8 by lrobinson5
    And I know that pasteurization doesn't sterilize milk. It greatly reduces the bacteria, which has cut down on the number of food-bourne illness, but not completely eliminated it.
  6. Feb 8 by chuckster
    Quote from lrobinson5
    See, this is why I asked. I don't think there is anything like the products you just described anywhere around here. I didn't know they offered lower heat pasteurization or the option to buy milk from grass fed cows. Maybe some of the organic milks are from grass fed cows?
    Since you live in CA, I can guarantee that you will be able to find milk from grass-fed cows. Many dairies that use this source for their milk also use low-temp pasteurization, so I'd be willing to bet you can find one pretty easiliy. Be aware that though some of the organic producers use milk from pastured herds, not all do so. So buying milk omething labeled "organic" is no guarantee. Conversely, some small producers that feed their cows on grass don't want to bother with getting organic certification and some great-tasting and healthy milk might not have the coveted word "organic" pm their label.

    CA is a hotbed of activity for small, local farms and I'm certain you can find some decent milk without too much effort. By the way, beef from pastured, grass-fed cows is much better tasting and significantly lower in saturated fat than beef from cattle from feedlots. Cows are meant to eat grass, not corn or soybeans.
  7. Feb 8 by lrobinson5
    Ehh, I can think of one dairy within 40 miles, and I am pretty sure it doesn't have grass. I drive by it when my mom wants to go to the Indian Casino. They look like they are not allowed to move much. I will look in to it. I think Chino has dairies, but I also know a lot of dairy land was sold off for new housing developments. Thanks for the tips though, I'm sure a little internet sleuthing and googling can help me find a few places
  8. Feb 9 by MN-Nurse
    Quote from lrobinson5
    but for goodness sake, must we spit on every public health advancement this decade?
    Apparently, yes. Haven't you heard? - Vaccines are dangerous!!!
    brownbook, MelEpiRN, and Not_A_Hat_Person like this.