California Threatens Raw Milk Producers

Photo: Maren Caruso / Getty Images

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According to an article from the Environmental News Network, raw milk producers warn that a strict new law will cause the disposal of perfectly safe milk and will essentially outlaw raw milk.

The article says that AB 1735 requires that all raw milk sold in California be tested for 10 coliform bacteria per milliliter or less. But raw milk producers and activists say that most coliform bacteria is perfectly safe, and that raw milk is already tested for E. coli 0157:h7 and Listeria monocytogenes, bacteria that can cause disease in humans, and which are not required tests in the new law.

Some advocates say producers won't be able to comply with the new law, and that while pasteurization kills coliform bacteria, it kills the good stuff too. Sally Fallon, founder of A Campaign for Real Milk, is quoted in the article: "Officials cite health risks to raw milk, but once milk has been pasteurized, all the anti-microbial and immune-supporting components are reduced or destroyed."

Mark McAfee, owner of the country's largest raw dairy, Organic Pastures, said, "This new law limits the sale of perfectly healthy, pathogen-free milk."

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