The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s web site prominently features a 64-slide presentation, “Raw Milk: Associated Public Health Risks”. It is full of statistics and descriptions of illness from raw milk–many of them questionable. It concludes on slide 59: "Pasteurizaton does not appreciably alter the nutritive value of milk. Claims to the contrary by raw milk advocates are without scientific support."
I’ve mentioned the FDA presentation before, but I think of it now because of a major case of illness from milk contamination in Massachusetts—contamination from pasteurized milk. It’s received extensive coverage in today’s Boston Globe, and apparently triggered dozens of calls to state health authorities by concerned consumers.
According to the reports, three elderly individuals were sickened by listeriosis, and two of them died. A fourth individual—a pregnant woman in her thirties—had a miscarriage.
If you are a raw milk drinker and you have been following some of the cases of alleged listeria contamination of raw milk in New York State, you will be interested to know a few curious facts about this case.
First, the initial illness actually occurred last June. The next one was in October, and then two occurred in November.
Second, the dairy responsible for the contaminated milk has shut down “voluntarily” until more can be learned about the cause of the contamination.
And third, the listeria bacteria, with the same genetic footprint that made all four individuals sick, was actually found in a carton of the milk purchased by a consumer.
I point these facts out because we know that if someone who became ill last June had consumed raw milk, the state would have acted much more quickly. Pasteurized milk isn’t a red flag to investigators, even though it sickens hundreds of consumers each year.
Also, the dairy would have been forced to shut down, not encouraged to shut down voluntarily. And the cause of the illness would have been laid on the raw milk dairy, even if the listeria couldn’t be found in the milk.
I really don’t mean to make this sound like a whining “I-told-you-so” commentary. It isn’t.
According to Terri Lawton, manager of a small Massachusetts dairy, Oake Knoll Ayrshires Farm, that sells raw milk directly to consumers from her farm outside Boston in Foxboro, the dairy in the middle of this storm, Whittier Farms, is a small high-quality operation, which delivers milk to consumers’ homes and sells from a couple of its own stores. “Whittier Farms pasteurizes and bottles their milk in a much larger facility" than hers, she writes on her listserve. “But from what I’ve seen of their operation, they do a very good job and I’m surprised and saddened to hear about this.”
No, I think about the suit from Organic Pastures and Claravale Farm charging California’s agriculture officials with "denial of equal protection." All this new case tells us is that we run a risk of illness from many foods. Should we ban pasteurized milk to eliminate the risk? After all, two people died and a pregnant woman lost her child. I don’t think so, any more than we should ban raw spinach or ground beef. Yes, officials should investigate such cases carefully to learn what went wrong, so the dairy can correct the problem. Be objective, and fair.
I have a feeling that this particular milk contamination case won’t be added to the FDA presentation.
The illnesses caused from pasteurized products appears to be swept under the rug by the "powers that be" The media panders to those who own them.
I just discovered something very interesting. The Powerpoint presentation link you posted is the 2005 raw milk FDA info, not the 2007 Powerpoint presentation. The 2007 raw milk Powerpoint had slides with information about Chris and Lauren. It didnt mention their names, but stated age, sex and county they lived in. I dont know why I felt compelled to look at the 2007 PowerPoint again.
Im feeling a bit miffed. The slides about the 2006 California raw milk outbreak have been change (I printed out the original presentation). One slide has been added, a 2nd slide has been changed, and three slides have been deleted. The information about the children is gone. Why would the government take the time to go back and change information?
I thought you would be interested in this information.
Mary
My question is directed to David Gumpert. The 2007 FDA/CFSAN was discussed at length on this blog earlier this year long before you came along. I suggest you review the 2007 raw milk PowerPoint and then go back a read the posts on this blog before you make negative remarks.
The government wouldn’t take the time to change/delete information unless there was a reason. Who pushed for the change?
Mary
If they (FDA) are going to "up-date" the informing presentation, they should use the scientific studies that have been done regarding the benefits of raw milk, ie; the kids with decreased incidents of asthma, etc. There are scientific studies that show raw dairy is not all bad. But then, there is that equality issue again.
If a dairy or any other entity is to be accused, then the name of the dairy/buisness along with the name of the tests done and the results should be made public, and to do this there would need to be absolute proof that the accused is at fault. Otherwise, the accused can be sued, as CA was and pay out restitution…vague wording such as "may be" linked,is wrong and slanderous.
When my daughter was in the 4th grade, the gym teacher was accused of sexual harassment by 2 other 4th graders, his career was ruined, and months after he was fired/left, the girls admitted they lied. They didn’t like the teacher so they told the lie; that was their reason. If someone is accused, then absolute proof needs to be presented.
Bob Hayles
Generally I let these things slide, but your language would be offensive in any context, and you are in particular so very misinformed about Mary. You really MUST read the posts on this blog (from the middle of the year) before you comment again on this issue.
Mary’s son went through a near-fatal illness that was due, IMHO, to raw milk consumption. She came out of it as a promoter of raw milk (though notably, no longer for herself).
Mary’s attitude is really the best that we could hope for in a situation like hers. She recognizes that we can get sick from anything, that there is no such thing as perfect protection, and that freedom of choice in food trumps a bureaucracy’s notion of "the greater good" any day.
Absolutely…but "Beware the troll" type messages are neither what one believes or one’s views. They are simply rude insults.
Bob Hayles
Several months ago I pointed out that these people were repeating the same thing over and over again. It totally sucked the life out of each thread and distracted from each topic.
Several other posters chimed in agreeing and Mary disappeared as did the other repeaters. Since then there has been an incredible sharing of information in a loving and empowering way.
Now Mary is back, essentially rehashing old stuff again, injecting her children into the mix. I know Mary has been through a lot but please have mercy. Rehashing won’t shed any more light on the subject.
This is a great blog from which I have learned a lot. I have never said anyone should not post. That is someone’s inference.
Having said that, let’s all have a good new year.
Rob
The recent article in the Associated Press mentioned 5 children who became ill September of 2006 after drinking OP raw milk, and there could be a 6th child. These are different numbers than presented in previous newspaper articles and the FDA PowerPoint slide show on raw milk. Why?
A new slide was inserted on the 2007 FDA raw milk info. It says, Recent California Outbreak: Reported by State of California Health and Human Services Agency, Infectious Diseases Branch, Division of communicable Disease Control.
The next slide has been amended. It now states:
Sept, 2006
6 children had E-coli 0157:H7 infections and/or Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS)
5 consumed raw dairy products from on dairy, and 1 could have
HUS can cause kidney failure and death
The original slide had this information:
Onset 9/6, 9/13/06
4 patients
4 hospitalized
4 HUS
HUS can cause kidney failure and death
The next three original slides, which have now been deleted, had detailed information on 5 children (ages, where they lived, and onset of illness).
I went to the website mentioned above and discovered I could print out a detailed report of diseases reported in the State of California during the month of September 2006. Its called California Monthly Summary Report: Selected Reportable Diseases.
According to this report, in the month of September
30 people had E.coli 0157:H7 infection
6 people were involved in an outbreak
4 people had HUS
Then the report breaks everything down by county.
Outbreak–6 (does not specify what outbreakspinach or raw milk)
Los Angeles -2 (Southern California)
Merced-1 (Northern California)
Monterey-1 (Central California)
Sacremento-2 (Northern California)
HUS–4
Butte-1 (Northern California)
Los Angeles-1 (Southern California)
Riverside-1 (Southern California)
Stanislaus-1 (Central California)
What immediately stood out for me is the information on Lauren. She lives in San Bernardino County and was diagnosed with both e-coli 0157:H7 and HUS in San Bernardino County. Shes not on either list.
The other information that is missing is the alleged children in San Diego County that drank OP raw milk and had e-coli 0157:H7 infection. This would be listed under the outbreak section if the information was true.
The information on Chris appears to be correct. Hes listed under the HUS section, but not the outbreak section because the bacteria that caused him to become ill were never isolated. However, under the E-coli 0157:H7 section is does state that 1 person in Riverside County became ill. Is this alluding to Chris? There is no way to know.
So the conclusion Ive come to ismandated reporting is inaccurate.
Two elderly gentlemen died and one pregnant woman lost her baby due to listeriosis in pasteurized milk. One other other elderly person was sickened with listeriosis from the same pasteurized milk. The first death occurred in June, and listeriosis is still found in the milk in December. The FDA and the MA state department of agriculture are treating this with kid gloves. If it were raw milk, the treatment would be very different.
This is a very important topic and worthy of discussion. I agree with Rob. Can we discuss the topic at hand and not rehash old items, please?
I think the authorities are ‘treating this with kid gloves’ because they (following the orders of their true masters, corporate America) don’t want people losing faith in the food system, in this case, pasteurized milk. If people lose faith in the food system, they will be much more inclined to turn toward the ‘alternative’ system, such as organics or raw milk. The corporate guys can’t make any money off of people like me, who don’t use chemicals, antibiotics, fertilizers, etc., and sell my milk (raw) to my neighbors. And that cuts into their profits, their expense accounts, their Swiss bank accounts, and their vacation homes. I think many in the governmental bureacracies think that if they just suck up to the multinational corporations that they’ll get these perks, too. And I do suspect that oftentimes they do.
As for ‘who is in whose pocket’? It just came out in the paper today that the USDA crop insurance division has partnered with Monsanto to offer cheaper crop insurance to farmers who plant Roundup Ready corn. The reasoning? Monsanto products are better equipped to withstand drought and insects, items of which warrant a crop insurance claim (not to mention that properly mineralized soil can withstand the same, but like I said, corporations can’t make any money off of me). Nepotism? Oh, yes! And don’t forget. Every American tax payer subsidizes not only the USDA, but every farmers crop insurance (crop insurance is not a private industry). So every American who dutifully pays his taxes is directly putting money into Monsanto’s pocket.
I think we all know that the government has been bought off by the corporations (and I think the term for this is ‘fascism’), and that they, through the government will continue to make laws and rules to oppress us.
What to do? We need to start screaming bloody murder. The case of those three deaths from pasteurized milk (and I wouldn’t be surprised if others surface – 6 months plus of listeria-tainted milk on the market is a long time) is one example of what we need to scream. Not because the farmers need to be hanged, but that 1. the officials let this go on so long unchecked (i.e. the food system is broken and/or the officals were looking the other way hoping it would go away) and 2. the treatment for raw vs. pasteurized is so vastly different (i.e. raw milk producers who DON’T make anyone sick are harassed by the government). Case in point: Meadowsweet Dairy in NY, who has their court date on January 22. They NEVER made anyone sick, yet their products were seized and destroyed and the owners were unduly harassed by the officials. We ALL need to glare a light on how unfair the government treats us (in general, not just raw milk issues – Homeland Security, anyone?). And with more and more people turning on to Ron Paul and his back-to-the-Constitution attitute, we’re poised to have the right people hear us – the masses of Americans who are sick of the government and their b.s., those people who just need a push over the fence to stand up to the government and do something about it.
Lets all take Rob’s own advice and not feed the troll.
There is some very useful and interesting information on this blog and we can all take Sylvia’s point of view and skip over the meaningless and pointless bashing.
To all: HAVE A HAPPY AND HEALTHY NEW YEAR!!
On this blog we discuss and analyze information based on the facts presented. Where do these facts come from? The Associated Press article is stating facts based on information that came from the State of California Health and Human Services Agency. The reporting information is not accurate, therefore the facts are incorrect. If I personally know two of the four people who contracted HUS in the month of September 2006 and the State didnt get the facts correct on just 2 people, what does it say for the rest of the information. Thats my point.
As for the case at hand, pasteurized milk is not considered a high risk food for developing listeriosis, therefore it would take many cases of illness to develop a theme of foods eaten to discover they were all drinking the same brand of pasteurized milk. This is even more difficult when the illnesses are spread out over a period of time.
In this case, because deaths occurred, as each illness cropped up, a through investigation of all foods eaten by each patient was probably conducted. If all the typical foods for infection are ruled out, they have to start looking elsewhere.
Listed below are the at risk foods. The doctors at the hospital would be asking questions regarding all of these food products as well as the CDC if they were involved. This is how they have been trained. No one believes pasteurized milk is dangerous or an at-risk food.
Do not eat hot dogs and luncheon meats, unless they are reheated until steaming hot.
Do not eat soft cheese such as Feta, Brie, and Camembert cheeses, blue-veined cheeses, queso blanco, queso fresco, and Panela unless it is labeled as made with pasteurized milk.
Do not eat refrigerated pates or meat spreads. Canned or shelf-stable pates and meat spreads may be eaten.
Do not eat refrigerated smoked seafood, unless it is contained in a cooked dish, such as a casserole. Refrigerated smoked seafood, such as salmon, trout, whitefish, cod, tuna, or mackerel, is most often labeled as nova-style, lox, kippered, smoked, or jerky. The fish is found in the refrigerator section or sold at deli counters of grocery stores and delicatessens. Canned or shelf-stable smoked seafood may be eaten.
Do not drink raw (unpasteurized) milk or eat foods that contain unpasteurized milk.
The tracking through Pulse Net is truly amazing. All states have a lab where the blueprint information is collected and then sent a central database at the CDC. This has now become a worldwide database. In the last 10 years, the documentation for food borne illnesses has become quite sophisticated. This is how they can figure out a one food source is causing repeated illnesses.
Two illnesses with the same blueprint is considered an outbreak. When the third illness of listeriosis and blueprint was documented, the lab was able to see that this blueprint had showed up before.
Its wonderful for the families that they were able to figure out the source of the illnesses and that no one else has become ill. Im sure the owners of the dairy are devastated. My heart goes out to everyone in this story.
Listeria monocytogenes survives pasteurization heat treatments.
Listeria monocytogenes also survives repeated freezing and thawing, direct sunlight and long-wave UV. People who still believe that pasteurization will make filthy raw milk clean should stop trusting in the U.S. FDA and CDC coordinated disinformation program, or history will just keep repeating itselfas it seemingly has in this latest Massachusetts situation.
In Boston, Massachusetts, in 1983, over a period of two months, listeriosis hospitalized 49 people, killing 14 of them.
The source? A specific brand of pasteurized milk.
By the way, listeriae are not coliforms. Therefore, the California Department of Food & Agricultures destruction of 80 years of perfection in raw milk safetyusing pathogen testing protocolsin favor of a primitive random coliform standard of 10/mL (which is the same as the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance standard) is a worthless gauge of milk safety, just as the PMO has once again demonstrated itself to be in this latest lethal Listeria outbreak in pasteurized milk.
In the end, there is no nutritionally superior substitute for old-fashioned, healthy, organically raised grass-fed raw milk, immaculate hygiene, and 21st century high-tech pathogen testing.
I haven’t checked, but is there a Powerpoint presentation on the risks of eating hamburger meat? You want to talk about dangerous food!
It’s called, Epidemiology of Shiga Toxin Producing E.Coli infections, Focusing On North America.
Why the big delay? Why was the creamery allowed to operate for the last six months? Something just does not add up at all.
Mark
Thanks,
maria.