Bronze-level articleRaw milk movement

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The '''raw milk movement''' is a [[crank]] movement linked to the [[raw foodism|raw food movement]]. Its adherents, drawing on [[New age]] [[alternative medicine|medicine]], argue that [[pasteur|pasteurization]] and homogenization damage the nutritional value of milk, and believe that milk which is unpasteurized and unhomogenized<ref>One might see farmers from time to time perform {{wpl|organoleptic}} testing on unpasteurized and unhomogenized milk.  This is however not to be taken as everyday consumption.</ref> is healthier than the milk which is typically sold in grocery stores.<ref>[http://www.raw-milk-facts.com/raw-medicine.html A webshite promoting raw milk]</ref>
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The '''raw milk movement''' is a [[crank]] movement linked to the [[raw foodism|raw food movement]]. Its adherents, drawing on [[New age]] [[alternative medicine|medicine]], argue that [[pasteur|pasteurization]] and homogenization damage the nutritional value of milk, and believe that milk which is unpasteurized and unhomogenized is healthier than the milk which is typically sold in grocery stores.<ref>[http://www.raw-milk-facts.com/raw-medicine.html A webshite promoting raw milk]</ref>
  
 
Due to the possibility of unprocessed raw milk containing pathogens such as bovine tuberculosis, brucellosis, or salmonella, most medical authorities consider raw milk to be rather dangerous, much like eating raw chicken; as it happens, many raw milk enthusiasts are [[germ theory denialism|germ theory deniers]] and often invoke [[conspiracy theory|conspiratorial thinking]] in their defense of raw milk consumption.<ref>[http://www.realmilk.com/crime-against-raw-milk.html]</ref> They also invoke [[anecdotal evidence]] in defense of raw milk consumption, while bashing groups, such as the FDA, with ''[[ad hominem]]'' attacks.<ref>[http://www.salon.com/life/feature/2007/01/19/raw_milk The Udder Truth], an article which displays both of these in defense of raw milk</ref>
 
Due to the possibility of unprocessed raw milk containing pathogens such as bovine tuberculosis, brucellosis, or salmonella, most medical authorities consider raw milk to be rather dangerous, much like eating raw chicken; as it happens, many raw milk enthusiasts are [[germ theory denialism|germ theory deniers]] and often invoke [[conspiracy theory|conspiratorial thinking]] in their defense of raw milk consumption.<ref>[http://www.realmilk.com/crime-against-raw-milk.html]</ref> They also invoke [[anecdotal evidence]] in defense of raw milk consumption, while bashing groups, such as the FDA, with ''[[ad hominem]]'' attacks.<ref>[http://www.salon.com/life/feature/2007/01/19/raw_milk The Udder Truth], an article which displays both of these in defense of raw milk</ref>

Revision as of 22:28, 13 August 2012

Deliciously edible!

Food and Diet

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Dubious diets
Food woo

The raw milk movement is a crank movement linked to the raw food movement. Its adherents, drawing on New age medicine, argue that pasteurization and homogenization damage the nutritional value of milk, and believe that milk which is unpasteurized and unhomogenized is healthier than the milk which is typically sold in grocery stores.[1]

Due to the possibility of unprocessed raw milk containing pathogens such as bovine tuberculosis, brucellosis, or salmonella, most medical authorities consider raw milk to be rather dangerous, much like eating raw chicken; as it happens, many raw milk enthusiasts are germ theory deniers and often invoke conspiratorial thinking in their defense of raw milk consumption.[2] They also invoke anecdotal evidence in defense of raw milk consumption, while bashing groups, such as the FDA, with ad hominem attacks.[3]

The movement has grown in popularity in recent years, especially with the advent of the internet,[4] and appears most popular in the American Midwest.[5]

There is also a raw milk movement of sorts in France, due to a combination of two factors, first, the difference in taste between cheese made from raw milk and cheese made from pasteurized milk, and second, the pride the French take in their traditional foods.

It is important to note that cheese made from raw milk is completely safe (and legal in the U.S.), provided it has been aged for at least 60 days.[6]

Contents

Crank ideas about raw milk

On top of the fact that people involved in the raw milk movement misleadingly call raw milk "real milk,"[7] and portray their movement as some sort of food freedom movement, there are numerous false ideas about the benefits of raw milk. These ideas include the promotion of the ridiculous idea that pasteurized milk causes lactose intolerance, that raw milk contains helpful bacteria and enzymes,[8] and so on. Most of these assertions, such as processed milk causing lactose intolerance, are flat out unproven. Others, such as the assertion that raw milk contains helpful bacteria, are true, but the benefits are mitigated in practice by the non-negligible probability of the raw milk being contaminated with other, much more harmful bacteria which, in recent years, has led to disease outbreaks.[9]

"Magic" milk mythology

As if the raw milk movement's ignorance of proven science regarding pasteurization wasn't enough, alternative medicine cranks have picked up the movement and used raw milk a magical cure-all treatment for everything from cancer to cardic disease.[10][11] This, of course, is in spite of proof of it as a medical treatment or cure.[12]

Recklessly ignoring raw milk's dangers

The people who promote the sale and consumption of raw milk often ignore the reasons for the pasteurization process: namely, that it removes harmful pathogens, such as E. coli bacteria, picked up from the cows' environment.[13] Listeria, especially, is a common bacterium found in raw milk which is killed during the pasteurization process.[14] (This applies to milk directly consumed as milk. Competently performed cheesemaking from raw milk carries extremely low probability of pathogenic bacteria surviving the process, as cheese cultures displace other biota at the pH and temperatures involved.)

In countries that have not outlawed the sale of raw milk, it is only available for sale under restrictions that usually include higher dairy standards, higher frequency inspections, restricted sales outlets, and prominant labelling.[15] The occasional scares about raw milk used to try and shut down the last remaining producers are almost always cases where what should be pasturised milk has accidentally been unpasturised, rather than ill effects from people knowingly consuming labelled unpasturised milk.

Homogenization

The process of homogenizing milk is, of course, not a health issue in any way, it is merely a convenience for consumers, in that it prevents the milk from "separating" - the cream coming out of the emulsion and rising to the top. This is an inconvenience for those of us who enjoyed carefully using just the cream on our breakfast cereal before anyone had a chance to shake the bottle.[16]

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. A webshite promoting raw milk
  2. [1]
  3. The Udder Truth, an article which displays both of these in defense of raw milk
  4. As a result of easier-to-obtain misinfomration
  5. As is discussed in this article, with the reasoning being that there are a larger percentage of dairy farms in the American Midwest, and thus more which produce raw milk
  6. [2]
  7. Such as at this webshite
  8. From a TIME magazine article
  9. 24 Ill in Colorado raw milk outbreak
  10. One such example
  11. [3] Another such example
  12. 'Dead' milk vs. 'Magic' milk
  13. The Dangers of Raw Milk: a report released by the American FDA
  14. A medical article on Listeria
  15. The Other Wiki: Raw Milk
  16. FoodScience online explains the process
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