Black market milk
By Staff
Suzanne Langcuster
As strange as it may seem, black markets specializing in the sale of raw milk are springing up across the country, according to one enthusiast quoted recently in the New York Times.
and Jim Langcuster, an information specialist. Both are employed by the Auburn University.
You may ask what makes raw milk so appealing. Some say it's richer in flavor and promotes strong immune responses and better digestion. Some women are feeding their infants and toddlers a spoonful at a time.
Dr. Jean Weese, a Cooperative Extension System Food Safety Specialist, was raised on a farm in eastern Kentucky and said she doubts she would be alive today if her parents hadn't pasteurized the milk from her family's dairy cows.
She considers pasteurized milk as one of the noteworthy scientific advances of the 20th century.
Dr. Weese is concerned about the dirty udders associated with dairy cows. Dairy cows are like any other livestock-they lie down wherever they please in a pasture and frequently snack on cow patties that they or other cows have deposited.
They are also contaminated by highly polluted streams.
Dr. Weese says its sheer illusion to assume that this filth can be completely washed off the udders before the milk is drawn.
Drinking raw (untreated) milk or eating raw milk products is "like playing Russian roulette with your health," says John Sheehan, director of the Food and Drug Administration's Division of Dairy and Egg Safety. "We see a number of cases of foodborne illness every year related to the consumption of raw milk."
More than 300 people in the United States got sick from drinking raw milk or eating cheese made from raw milk in 2001, and nearly 200 became ill from these products in 2002, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Raw milk also contains very little vitamin D. Vitamin D is added to the pasteurized milk, and help us ward off rickets.
Vitamin D is also good for the bones, makes for healthier immune systems and appears to reduce the incidence of certain types of cancer. Pasteurized milk is a great source of this vitamin.
Now, go ahead and drink a big glass of pasteurized milk, and be sure to drink a glass everyday.
Suzanne Langcuster is a food columnist for the Franklin County Times.
