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California Government Official Lies
About Raw Milk
Dear Members,
We have just send the following press release out on the wire services.
Please feel free to send this announcement to local media, post it on
internet lists and send it to California government officials. We will
continue to keep you informed as events in California unfold.
Sincerely,
Sally Fallon, President
The Weston A. Price Foundation
California Government Official Lies about Raw Milk
For immediate release. January 4, 2008
Raw milk proponents who have claimed that government officials often
deceive the public about the safety of raw milk found clear evidence
of this practice in a
recent statement from the California Office of Constituent Affairs.
A letter signed by David Richey, Office of Constituent Affairs, sent
to California
consumers of raw milk, states that in September 2006, "the California
Department of Public Health linked six cases of infection with the deadly
E. coli O157:H7 to the consumption of raw milk." The letter refers
to the September 2006 outbreak of virulent E. coli now definitively
tied to spinach grown in California.
Although officials of the California Department of Food and Agriculture
(CDFA)
accused Organic Pastures Dairy, California's main producer of raw milk,
of selling
tainted milk, thorough investigation of the milk, the cows and even
the manure at
Organic Pastures Dairy failed to find virulent E. coli or any other
pathogen.
The state was forced to make a monetary settlement to compensate Organic
Pastures Dairy for loss of business during the unnecessary two-week
recall.
"The actions of California officials typify what we are seeing
in many parts of the
United States," says Sally Fallon, president of The Weston A. Price
Foundation, a
nutrition education foundation that promotes the consumption of raw
milk. "Raw milk is often the whipping boy for illness caused by
other foods. Health officials
publicize a 'link' between raw milk and illness on little or no proof
and ignore
much more likely vectors of illness, such as salads or deli meats. They
can find a
'link' between raw milk and illness by asking victims about raw milk
consumption and not about other foods they have consumed."
Fallon notes that In September, 2003, the FDA, USDA and CDC jointly
released a
report comparing the risk of listeriosis carried by various foods. On
a per-serving
basis, this report estimated that deli meats are 10.8 times more dangerous
than raw milk and that non-reheated hot dogs are 9.2 times more dangerous
than raw milk. Since deli meats are so commonly consumed, on an absolute
basis they carry 515 times as great a risk as raw milk.
Furthermore, two people recently died in Massachusetts from listeria
in pasteurized milk. "Where are the government warnings to avoid
deli meats, hot dogs and pasteurized milk?" asks Fallon. "Only
raw milk is singled out as a menace."
The letter from the Governor's office also states that "raw milk
sold for direct
human consumption is illegal in all or part of 42 states."
"Once again, the state of California is lying to the public,"
say Fallon. "Raw milk
may legally be sold in over 30 states and may be sold in stores in eight
states.
California citizens whose health depends on access to raw milk deserve
fair and
accurate statements from public servants, not lies and misinformation."
The new standard passed by the Legislature in AB 1735, without hearings
or debate, sets a maximum amount of beneficial probiotic coliform bacteria
at no more than 10 bacteria per mL in milk sold raw to the consumer.
If enforced, AB 1735 could make raw milk unavailable because coliform
bacteria-which are harmless-multiply rapidly when milk is machine bottled.
Just before AB 1735 took effect, January 1, 2007, the Farm-to-Consumer
Legal Defense Fund filed a lawsuit in San Benito County. Part of that
lawsuit requests an injunction which would legally protect raw milk
producers against enforcement of AB 1735 standards. In addition, a new
law will be introduced in January reversing AB 1735.
"AB 1735 unfairly targets raw milk and is not necessary for public
safety," says
Taaron Meikle, president of the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund.
"The two raw milk dairies in California have a superlative safety
record."
The Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund (FTCLDF) defends the sale of
raw milk and other farm products directly to the public. In states where
raw milk sales are illegal, FTCLDF helps farmers provide raw milk to
consumers through cow-boarding and herd-sharing contractual agreements.
CONTACTS
Sally Fallon, President, The Weston A. Price Foundation
202-962-0333,
, www.westonaprice.org
Taaron Meikle, President, The Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund
(703) 964-7421,
, www.farmtoconsumer.org
Pete Kennedy, Esq., Vice President, The Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense
Fund
(941) 349-4984,
.
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