Raw Milk Case Settled in Ontario

Some good news, for those of you who are on the raw milk bandwagon: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2010/01/21/raw-milk-trial.html


It seems as though a farmer in Ontario accused of selling raw milk has been acquitted of the charge after proving that he sells only shares in his cows rather than the milk itself. This is an imaginative method of circumventing the law since it is not illegal to consume raw milk from a cow that you own, only to sell it to others. It is fortunate that in this case the courts agree.


Raw milk has gotten a very bad reputation based on outdated information. It is true that when pasteurization came into use in the 1860's, it reduced the number of deaths caused by food born pathogens that were in the milk. BUT, there are many factors to consider about farming practices employed in the 1800s versus those employed today. For one, the levels of hygiene were abysmal in those days and the cleanliness of the cows themselves and of the tools and vessels used to extract and store the milk was much poorer than it is today. There were no food boards or agriculture regulations in place to control the methods used by farmers, exposing many people to bacteria in the milk. Another factor is the absence of widespread use of refrigeration in the 1800s allowing faster growth of bacteria in milk at warmer temperatures. Thirdly, the level of nutrition of the cow has an effect on the level of bacteria in the milk. Cows that are pasture fed produce milk that has beneficial bacteria growing in it that actually impairs the growth of pathogenic bacteria keeping milk safer, longer. In the 1800s cows were often fed the mash byproduct of distilleries within the cities, which is where the majority of deaths occurred. On this inadequate diet the milk being produced was of inferior quality and did not have the built in protection that healthy milk does.

Meanwhile there are many benefits in drinking raw milk, beyond the argument of whether or not you'll die by drinking it. The nutritional benefits of raw milk, provided you get it from pasture fed cows (I wouldn't bother with anything else) is far superior to that of the pasteurized and homogenized milk you can buy in the grocery store. The levels of healthy Omega-3 fats are naturally much higher as well as the quantities of vitamins and minerals present. There are also many enzymes (lactases) present that aid in the digestion of the milk sugar lactose. The presence of these enzymes may help those people who have difficulty digesting milk because they lack these enzymes. Milk that has been pasteurized however, has been heated which destroys any enzymes that are present. Thirdly, people who are allergic to dairy may also be able to consume raw milk without digestive difficulty. This is because most allergies are due to a reaction to the proteins in a food. Proteins are unique 3D molecules that appear to be 'twisted' into a knot. Each knot is recognized by the body as something helpful or something that is invading. Because pasteurization and homogenization both require high levels of heat, the proteins literally become cooked and lose their shape. This causes the body to flag them as invaders and thus mount an immune (or allergic) response. Thus, people with milk allergies may find they have no reaction or at least a reduced reaction to raw milk products. There are also other health benefits that I will refrain from mentioning here as the post could get quite lengthy.


I do however encourage you to do your own research and by all means come to your own conclusion regarding this topic. I daresay, that with this recent news, there should be many articles written on the subject in the next few days...

For more information, please see: Raw Milk Facts.com or The Weston A. Price Foundation Real Milk Campaign