Vermont Farmers Can Now Deliver Raw Milk at Farmers Markets
August 15, 2014Overheard in a British Columbia Cheese Shop
August 25, 2014As part of the Food Safety Modernization Act, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed an “intentional adulteration rule” which requires that domestic and foreign food facilities address risks of contamination that could occur by intentional acts of terrorism.
The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) has asked the FDA that dairy farms be exempted from the intentional adulteration rule, arguing that because pasteurized milk goes through so many processing steps it would be a poor choice for intentional adulteration.
“In considering whether activities that occur on dairy farms represent a high risk for intentional adulteration, FDA concluded fluid milk storage and loading in a dairy farm operation pose a significant vulnerability,” wrote Beth Briczinski, the Vice President of Dairy Foods and Nutrition at the NMPF. “However, for a number of reasons, we disagree with the premise that on-farm milk destined for pasteurization is a high-risk food and, therefore, we maintain that activities on dairy farms should not be addressed through this rule.”
“Raw milk that is produced for direct human consumption and not destined for pasteurization should not be exempted,” NMPF noted.
NMPF also submitted comments to the FDA in conjunction with the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) arguing that food defense and food safety should be regulated differently. The deadline for the FDA to issue its final ruling in response to these comments is May 31, 2016.
The Campaign for Real Milk is a project of the nutrition education non-profit, The Weston A. Price Foundation. Donate to help fund research into the benefits of nutrient dense foods. westonaprice.org/lab
3 Comments
If raw milk is not certified organic, it is more dangerous. I think that is key. It is the highest we have, worldwide. we need to know where all the feed coming from, and how healthy the animals, are. If they are not free from their own wastes, the problems can ensue, and cross-contaimination is a viable concern.
Certified Organic involves a lot of time, paperwork, and expense for the farmer to meet minimum standards that Walmart and others are eager to erode. You see online petitions regularly to address big businesses’ attempts to allow various additives or chemicals in “Certified Organic” foods. Many farmers do not bother becoming Certified Organic but use organic methods and produce a higher quality of food. Knowing your farmer, asking questions, visiting, seeing the operation is a better route whenever possible, than merely trusting the Certified Organic label.
The centralized processors will stoop to any level to maintain their profits.