The ongoing controversy about raw milk generally has to do with cow’s or goat’s milk.
But every once in a while, the controversy ratchets up in its exotica quotient when camel’s milk moves into the picture, as it has just recently, via a young California entrepreneur, Walid Abdul-Wahab.
If you ever watch the TV series, Shark Tank, where budding entrepreneurs try to grab investment funds from seasoned investors, you can see where Abdul-Wahab would be a great candidate. He could just take his Linked-In pitch and read it aloud:
My name is Walid Abdul-Wahab I started Desert Farms right out of college as the first company in the U.S. to capitalize on the sale of camels milk, based on the idea that American consumers are constantly searching for the ultimate healthy beverage. Americas health-conscious consumer appetite has lead to the rise of many dairy alternative beverages, but each has been met with unique flaws.
Unlike other milks, camels milk is a complete food that can be consumed exclusively while meeting all your nutritional requirements. It has been used for centuries as a natural remedy in the Middle East, Asian and North African cultures. Nomads and Bedouins rely on its nutritional and medicinal properties and have lived on camel milk for months in the harsh desert without apparent loss of health.
In the U.S we have already created demand for camel milk both as a cultural product and as a medicinal beverage in the autism community. We want to expand our audience and share the natural goodness of camel milk to health enthusiasts.
I am currently seeking investors to be a part of this start-up company. This opportunity has a huge financial return potential for shareholders, as we promote the healthy benefits of Camels Milk.
The really interesting part would be the reaction from the Sharks, the four investors who quiz the presenting entrepreneurs about the feasibility of their ventures. No doubt, one of the first Shark reactions would be something like this:
Very interesting, Walid. I have a good friend who has a child with autism, and I know that autism is a huge problem in this country. If camels milk could help counter this terrible condition, it could be a terrific product. Can you tell me how the FDA feels about raw camel’s milk as a treatment for autism?
Walid, of course, would be hard pressed to capture the full spirit of the FDAs views on raw milk of any kind, let alone raw camel’s milk. But I can tell Walid Abdul-Wahab, Shark Tank investors, and anyone else so interested that the FDA definitely is intrigued by raw camel’s milk.
Before I get to the FDAs take on raw camel’s milk, I should say that the subject only just came up because of a story about the California entrepreneur and his raw camel milk company, Desert Farms, on a site known as Munchies. Though the overall story and interview are pretty enthusiastic, the writer, Lauren Rothman, oddly begins her article, It seems like every other week someone gets ill from raw milk. No, not exactly.
But back to the FDAs attitude on raw camel’s milk. Back in the fall of 2010, the Colbert Nation comedy news show did a report on the Rawesome Food Club raid. Early on in the five-minute segment, James Stewart was asked to explain “the complex etimology behind the buying club’s name.”… “Awesome with an R in front of it,” he deadpanned.
“Why did the government thugs raid Rawesome?” the announcer asked ominously. A pause… “To seize their raw milk.”
A smiling blond Lela Buttery, one of Rawesome’s young volunteer operators, then intoned, “Here at Rawesome, we have a choice of cow, goat, sheep, and most recently…camel milk.” Film clips of milk spurting from a goat or camel’s teats followed.
Of all the digs at government bureaucrats and raw milk aficionados in that skit, the one that caught the FDAs attention was the mention of raw camels milk. In research for my book, Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Food Rights, I gained access to a number of intriguing email exchanges about the enforcement efforts against raw milk, and one such exchange had to do with the Colbert Nation Rawesome skit, and raw camels milk. (Unfortunately, space considerations prevented me from including everything I obtained, including the information about the FDAs interest in the Colbert Report and raw camels milk, in my book.)
Twelve days after the Colbert segment aired, the director of the FDA’s Division of Plant and Dairy Food Safety, John Sheehan, fired off an email to a California-based FDA colleague, “Regional Milk Specialist” Randy Elsberry (and copied in three other colleagues): “On the Stephen Colbert Report skit about raw milk–one of the Rawesome people mentioned that they were selling camel’s milk. Randy, where would they be getting that from?”
Elsberry replied to the email by cc’ing Stephen Beam, the chief of the Milk and Dairy Food Safety Branch of the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
“Not sure. Steve, do you happen to know?”
To which Beam answered, “I’m not aware of camel’s milk being found during the (June 30) inspection of Rawesome conducted under the search warrant. There is only one camel dairy in California that CDFA is aware of (Oasis Camel Dairy, Ramona, CA); however, they are in no way approved for production of milk for human food. To our knowledge, they are only manufacturing soap. If they are distributing milk for consumption, it is without CDFA licensure and authorization. We do check in with them from time to time, and can follow-up on that. Imported camel’s milk is another possibility.”
Sheehan thanked Beam, and added in a return email, “If you get a chance to check out the video, the Rawesome lady says that they just recently started offering camel milk. FDA would be very interested to learn of any IC in raw camel milk. Thanks again, Steve.” [Im not sure what “IC” means, and if anyone knows, please share that info.]
A check of the Oasis Camel Dairy’s web site indicates its owners, described on the site as “a 40-something married couple with a BIG idea and a small bank account,” know they are under scrutiny–that their BIG idea of selling camel’s milk must await more favorable regulatory conditions.
In my experience, camel’s milk is available around the U.S…..for a price–on the order of $15-20….per PINT. So you read about these two budding camels milk enterprises, and you get just an inkling of the entrepreneurial energy out therein terms of health improvement possibilities, job opportunities, and financial growthall perking under the heavy boot of the FDA and its state enforcers. It makes for some incongruous and humorous exchanges, but in the end, it’s a challenge to the corporate dairy cartel, and so it’s got some pretty daunting challenges before we see camel’s milk widely available.
Camel milk, donkey milk, yak milk, it’s all been around just as long as cow milk – which is why the FDA and Sheehan in particular are “interested”. Don’t tell them jack.
The fact that he says “IC in raw camel milk” suggests it’s a component, but may be just awkward expression, and he means “information concerning,” as you say.
The FDA would love to seize control over this area of food, but as of now, they do not have control as far as I know.
I have tasted the stuff and it is awesome. It is creamy and delicious. I know that their are a few Amish doing Camels raw milk as well.
I vote for IC meaning Interstate Commerce. I suggest that the FDA does not mess with Camels milk…the NSA and CIA have enough popularity challenges as it is…pissing off Al Queda and all of the Arabs and Muslims at this level really is not a smart or humane use of Drone technology. Lets just leave the Camels alone….
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-05-19/african-camels-show-mers-virus-is-more-widespread-than-believed.html
Mark, now that you mention it, I remember that discussion about camels/non-hooved animals at NCIMS. I recall FDA was wondering if there was some way to get around the limitation that kept them focused on hooved animals. Seems from the email exchange I quoted from that CDFA thinks it has authority over sale of camel’s milk. Maybe the two California producers of camel’s milk I mentioned need to speak with Gary Cox, or some other smart ag lawyer.
And I agree with you, IC is interstate commerce. Sheehan was/is afraid of being outflanked by camel’s milk producers who know the law and are willing to assert their rights.
I remember very distinctly the private discussion I had with the camel milk producers that were petitioning the FDA for some type of recognition or regulation. I remember telling them to immediately withdraw their petition and to please…please…please just shut up and not say another word. They just did not get it at all. Those camel guys were asking the fox to enter their hen house and eat their chickens!!! They were so virginal and naive !!! They “had it all” by being outside of FDA authority and here they were asking the FDA to regulate them! That is the definition of really stupid….in my most humble opinion. I remember the FDA taking full advantage of their nativity and trying to pass motions to regulate raw camels milk, but the actions did not make much material progress as I recall.
When something ain’t broken do not try and fix it…especially when the agency being asked to help is the biggest raw milk hater on planet earth.
http://news.yahoo.com/two-u-companies-recall-walnuts-hummus-over-possible-183428423–business.html
According to Christina Adams, a writer and mother who uses camel milk (with favorable results) on her autistic child, “The FDA states: ‘In 2009 the National Conference on Interstate Milk Shippers (NCIMS) voted to include camels milk as a Grade A product under the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO). However, no milk can enter interstate commerce until there is a validated test for drug residues in camel milk. Products in intra-state commerce are regulated by state authorities.’
“California’s position: ‘California allows camel dairies and the sale of camel milk, provided it is produced and distributed from a properly permitted and licensed facility.’
“The FDA leaves most non-interstate regulation of camel milk production up to the states.”
http://www.ageofautism.com/2012/03/autism-file-presents-article-on-camel-milk-by-christina-adams.html
Mark, the NCIMS action came the year after we attended their meeting, or may have been an outgrowth of the meeting we attended in 2008.
Nice digging. I did not know about the 2009 Camels milk action at NCIMS. What was the position taken by the FDA regarding pasteurization prior to interstate commerce? Is it also banned like cows raw milk?
RAWMI held a all day long RAWMI Listing workshop near Mt Shasta today. It was attended by five RAWMI Listing applicants. The community that grew out of the close mentoring, great questions, the grass to glass tour of a Listed dairy and subsequent discussion was awesome!! Each of the raw milk producers was very serious about the RAWMI program and the RAMP safety plans and testing that flows from being Listed. The meeting was also remarkable because of who attended. We had DVM Doctors representing bridges of trust that RAWMI had built that reach all the way into the highest levels of state and federal regulatory agencies etc….sharing was open and highly constructive! Names will stay off the blogs to preserve the trust and progress that has clearly been built.
Sincerely….thanks to all. Nothing like real educational action to bring serious raw milk safety forward.
On April 16, 2014, Governor Walker signed the ag-tourism limited liability bill (AB 746) into law as 2013 Wisconsin Act 269. Today, more and more consumers want to know where agricultural products come from, and as a result Wisconsin farms continue to be growing tourist attractions. The ag-tourism bill was spearheaded by the Agriculture Tourism Association whose members expressed concern about the inherent risks of being on a farm and being sued by those who visit their farm property to engage in agricultural tourism activities.
http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=61bf0b07-7a12-4dc6-a814-174785c092d2
Mark, I couldn’t find anything more about FDA policy regarding pasteurization, or interstate commerce rules. Congrats on the RAWMI workshop. Hopefully the beginning of a wide move to provide food safety education to raw dairies.
I will also mention that all the attendees were California herdshare operators…not yet licensed or acknowledged in our state. We talked a lot about the obstacles along the path to licensing, and how those could be potentially overcome for the very micro-size, pastured based operation. Small herds still have work to do in California, to be sure. But in the meantime, some farms are not waiting to put excellent food safety protocol in place, voluntarily, for their herdshares. Perhaps the regulations will follow.
We also discussed camel-friendly milking parlor designs. OK…just kidding about that last part…
Hey, Shawna, at $100+ per gallon, the camel-friendly parlor may not be such a crazy idea.
So I guess the answer is yes. Camels can carry shiga toxin E.coli in their intestines.
True story about the milk pricing. This is an issue that the mini-micro producer often misses, and it directly connects to safety. It cost money to produce raw milk well…to cool it properly, to wash and store even basic equipment properly, to run your milk tests and livestock screenings…to properly provide feed. Sustainable pricing in Northern California will be different than other parts of the country, but the point is that farmers need to be realistic about pricing if they are to sustain quality.
http://www.seriouseats.com/2009/07/video-how-hard-is-it-to-milk-a-camel.html
All I know about camels is that they stink, they make gruesome noises and they have big teeth!
Ken
I would pay more for Calaravale because his milk is from Jerseys and has a richer flavor.
http://www.fda.gov/Safety/recalls/default.htm
Size effects economics. In general a larger operation can spread costs over more gallons. Smaller operations have fewer gallons to spread costs over. Of course there are many variables to consider for sure. I spent 4 hours at the Marin County San Rafael Farmers Market today. As I stood and spoke with many customers….they all said that they prefer the taste of OPDC because it is fresh and does not have lingering favors and has a long shelf life.About 50% of OPDC cows are jerseys and the rest are jersey crosses with other breeds. I did not ask our customers about other raw milks, I just asked why they drink OPDC. This flavor preference comes directly from our RAMP program and very low Bacteria counts. As far as cost is concerned…Claravale costs $10 per gallon more than OPDC, Clarvale has no pasture…none…and they feed all conventional grain and alfalfa. If that rocks your boat….go for it. They also refuse to answer their phone and generally do not tour their facilities.
I am so sick of self centered raw milk producers that refuse to stand up along side other raw milk producers for the good of all raw milk. Raw milk deserves a team approach with a higher purpose and calling. Claravale has done very little if any educational outreach or market building. In the past I have been supportive of Claravale….for that, they post a video bashing OPDC and our pasture grazing practices and slam our organic status. This world is too small and life is too short for this kind of negative garbage. You will not find one negative comment about Claravale at the OPDC website…not one. Just had to spill my guts on this issue.
http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/news/neighborhoods/here-s-to-clean-cookies/article_422cf6d5-9b39-5010-8137-4d19e102dbfb.html
I agree with Slayden. His description of cleanliness is what we should indeed concern ourselves with, rather then the current counterproductive, cleanliness obsession that focuses on avoiding bacteria in our day-to-day lives.
Ken
I am not sure I understand what Abdul is doing. Is he distributing raw milk into CA over s state line or is he producing raw milk and distributing it inside of CA?
I was wondering if you would substantiate your claims about Claravale with concrete evidence?
Would you also please post a link to the video which is bashing OPDC?
Claravale is an integral farm and business within its community, owned and run by open, most generous, and kind hearted people.
For some reason you are not being challenged and that’s changing now.
For complete transparency: I am training as a new milker for Claravale and I’m quite fond of the owners and management. Beautiful people. I’m acting ing upon my own behalf to speak up for Claravale.
In fact, I think we could build a bridge here. I have no intention of being your enemy. Of course I have nothing against you personally, I don’t know you.
Sincerely, Hunter
I had not bothered to respond to Mark’s post as I felt it has been rehashed at least a dozen times on this blog. Repeating oneself gets tiring. To me, Jersey milk tastes better than Holstein milk and I feel Claravale’s owner has been open with his dairy and yes, I would recommend it to others, just as I would inform that there are two raw dairies in Ca that sell raw milk in the stores.
I also feel that both Claravale and OP both want to produce clean healthy milk. They both do it successfully their own way and each has different goals for their future. Since they both produce clean milk, they both must be doing things right.
Your intention is very correct, building bridges will only make the strength of the raw milk movement that much stronger in the communities. Producing clean healthy raw milk is not a one size fits all and would be ridiculous to try and make it so.
Some people have a hard time accepting anyone or anything that is different from their beliefs. They haven’t learned that they don’t need to compromise their convictions to be compassionate and accepting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKxKRwwFbNE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnN2cPLG31U
Lisa