Opinion: If Tobacco and Alcohol Are Legal, So Too Should Be Raw Milk

Like other raw milk advocates across the country, Joy Martinson fervently believes that consumers should have the right to obtain natural foods directly from the farm without government interference.

Joy credits unpasteurized milk and other raw foods for the return of her good health following a debilitating period in her life. She believes that consumers should do their research on the farms from where they source, and be sure that those farms are raising animals and growing crops in a healthy, uncontaminated way.  

When it comes to raw milk specifically, Joy writes that “…when that huge conglomerate known as a our ‘dairy industry’ spouts the dangers of raw milk, I agree wholeheartedly. THEIR raw milk CAN KILL YOU. If mega-farm raw milk were to become available for my purchase, I wouldn’t go near it, nor should anyone else. It is no longer, in any way, shape or form, a God-given food.”

In the case of raw milk purchased directly from small farms with safe handling practices, however, Joy argues for food sovereignty. “Unfortunately, there are those who believe it is their right to prevent me from acquiring the foods that are responsible for my return to good health,” she writes. “And yet, I fully support those who wish to choose processed foods, tobacco, alcohol, etc – all under the control of a government who claims to be looking out for our best interests.”

Read her original op-ed here: http://hartkeisonline.com/2013/05/08/vernon-hershberger-farm-member-speaks-out-for-raw-milk-freedom/

The Campaign for Real Milk is a project of The Weston A. Price Foundation, a nutrition education non-profit based in Washington, D.C.