Rah Raw Raw
Believers in unpasteurized milk rally to rescind Humboldt’s law against selling it
(July 22, 2010) Urania Hunter, of Eureka, loves, loves, loves milk. “It’s the first food for me,” she said, over the phone, one day last week. “I just love milk. It’s my favorite food.”
She loves milk so much, she’s willing to buy it locally on the black market at $16 per gallon. Yes, because the Santa Barbara native/Bay Area expat is hooked on a particular kind of milk — the raw, unpasteurized, non-homogenized, straight-from-the-cow (via quart bottle) kind. The kind that’s illegal to sell for human consumption in Humboldt County. The kind that Hunter, and certain others, swear not only tastes like nirvana but boosts the immune system, alleviates allergies, asthma, ear infections, arthritis and more. They say it produces less phlegm than pasteurized milk. They say lactose-intolerant people can drink it with no problems. (They also say that pasteurized milk actually causes allergies, and is stripped of nutrients beneficial to humans, a claim refuted by some scientists.)
“It’s the most wonderful milk on earth,” Hunter, who drinks a quart of raw milk a day, said. “It’s just absolutely delicious. And there’s something about this area that produces wonderful milk — the fresh air, the green pastures, the type of rain.”
Hunter is among an increasingly adamant group in the county — 2,200 signed a petition recently — that wants the sale of raw milk to be legal in Humboldt. They say it would open up new venues for small dairies, as well as provide standardized guidelines and routine inspections for producers, thereby increasing the safety factor.
This Thursday, at 6 p.m., raw milk advocates are sponsoring a “pep rally” and lecture at the Northwest Institute of Ayurveda, in Arcata. Then, on Aug. 23, there will be yet another rally at the institute; the next day, Aug. 24, they’ll descend on the county Board of Supervisors meeting to push their cause: to convince the board to rescind county code 512.4, which prohibits the sale of unpasteurized liquid “market” milk products for human consumption.
Actually, Hunter convinced her supervisor, Bonnie Neely, to allot the raw-milk drinkers a 9:30 a.m. slot to present their case. Neely, earlier this week, said she would invite others to present different views on the legalization of raw milk, including representatives from the county’s public health department — which remains steadfast against the idea.
“Based on the scientific evidence that’s out there, I fail to see how the benefits outweigh the risks,” said Susan Buckley, director of the county public health branch of Health and Human Services, by phone earlier this week.
Numerous entities oppose consumption of raw milk, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the federal Food and Drug Administration and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
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11 Comments
Comment / By comment / July 22, 9:41 a.m.
Let them drink the stuff… They must pay for their own health care if they get a touch of something though… Heck.. tax it like tobacco… since they will cost a lot to care for when they are reminded of what Louis Pasteur was up to… Public education has failed again…
Comment / By aed939 / July 22, 9:44 a.m.
I didn’t realize that individual counties could ban the sale of a particular food item in a state where it is legal.
Comment / By yay / July 22, 9:49 a.m.
“raw milk advocates are sponsoring a “pep rally” and lecture at the Northwest Institute of Ayurveda, in Arcata.”
Anyone who stops by has a 2 for 1 on completely quackery! Come dip your head in ghee and chug down raw milk. Voila! Instantly, you have no more joint pain, constipation, skin problems, and your affect is bright and sunny!
Comment / By sarah shevett / July 22, 12:39 p.m.
What was not mentioned were the very strict regulations for raw milk already in place in California. The state requirements for raw milk are stricter than even pasteurized milk, therefore raw milk might actually be cleaner and safer than pasteurized in California. Why is Humboldt the only county in the state that does not allow the sales of California legally approved and regulated raw milk? This local law must be changed.
Comment / By martha / July 22, 12:43 p.m.
Mandatory pasteurization is prevention for problems that occurred before dairy inspections, lab tests, etc. Current legal parameters for the quality of milk legal for human consumption are strict enough to prevent the pathogens that pasteurization kills. Isn’t it better to have clean milk that doesn’t need to be pasteurized ( cooked) than dirty milk that does need treatment?
Comment / By martha said it / July 23, 9:02 a.m.
Lucerne and co. need to sterilize their McMilk…their cows live in squalor. But not all farmers treat their cattle farms like rat cages. But that’s not the point of the article either. Only in America, land of the free, is “play at your own risk” is a thing of the past, and less processed, less chemically supplemented products cost more. But I guess that’s not the point of the article either.
“They” also say never eat raw eggs, but I’ve been adding them to smoothies forever.
Comment / By Alan Richmond / July 24, 11:02 a.m.
When I was a kid in the 70s my grandparents owned and operated a dairy in Arcata (where Cypres Grove is located now). They sold milk, butter and yogurt to the public on site and, through retailers and had contracts to supply milk to the elementary schools. All of that was pasteurized, of course. But we always drank raw milk, used raw cream and ate butter made from raw milk.
It seems many of the “problems” with raw milk predate modern refrigeration.
As is always the case, prohibition has created a black market, which results in inflated prices and an inability to hold problem producers accountable. Raw milk products need to be decriminalized.
Comment / By J. Alora / July 25, 11:54 a.m.
I’m fine with allowing the sale of “raw” milk. People should be allowed to take whatever risk they choose when putting things in their bodies.
However, the idea that “raw” milk has magic powers irritates me.
Comment / By Kerul Dyer / July 26, 7:09 a.m.
Apparently the authorities consider it a threat: Take a look at this footage of the LAPD raiding an organic food store, with guns drawn, on the search for raw foods…What are they so scared of??
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-raw-food-raid-20100725,0,4951907.story
Comment / By bev / Aug. 10, 6:42 p.m.
i wish i could buy clean raw milk. i believe it is much better for you than cooked (pasterized) milk. pasterizing seems to be a preservation measure. i’d rather have fresh raw milk, thank you very much!
Comment / By Katrina / Aug. 13, 10:41 a.m.
Relax people. Nobody said raw milk has magical powers. Food as medicine is not a “new-age” concept. Hippocrates said, “Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food”. Many people believe, and scientists confirm, that foods that come straight from the source and eaten in their purest most natural form, are the healthiest. Milk is no exception. Raw milk contains beneficial bacteria and enzymes that actually make it healthier to drink than pasteurized, which kills all of that. Modern refrigeration and health standards make raw milk production cleaner than pre-paseurization days. If people want raw milk, let them buy it.