Milk

Occasionally I find myself in agreement with people complaining about too much government regulation.  According to Lancaster Farming, Rural Vermont, an advocacy group, was teaching people how to turn raw milk into butter, yogurt, and cheese.  In February the Vermont Agency of Agriculture said Rural Vermont violated state law by holding classes in which raw milk was processed and served.  Evidently it is illegal in Vermont to use raw milk for anything other than drinking.  

I was raised on raw milk.  In fact, I milked the cow whose milk I drank.  I sometimes poured milk on my cereal without stirring it, which meant I got all the cream and my parents and sister were left with skim milk.  (When milk is not homogenized, the cream rises to the top.)  

The FDA notes that raw milk can contain such dangers as salmonella and E. coli.  On the other hand, raw milk contains healthy bacteria and enzymes not found in pasteurized milk.  It seems to me that as long as a consumer is aware of the potential dangers that may be found in raw milk, he or she should be allowed to purchase it, drink it, and make cheese from it.

Incidentally, the same Apr. 23 issue of Lancaster Farming that contained the article on raw milk in Vermont had another article with this headline:  “Study: Half of Supermarket Meat May Have Staph Bug.”  That was based on 136 samples of beef, chicken, pork, and turkey purchases in grocery stores in Chicago, L.A., Washington, Flagstaff, and Fort Lauderdale.  

The American Meat Institute said the study was misleading.

I buy my meat from a local butcher in Polk Township.