Raw Milk Crowd Is Gathering of Strange Bedfellows
What were the Amish in Pennsylvania doing to celebrate the 4th of July this year? Inviting over their political allies of course to plot strategy for the raw milk crusade. Or something like that.
The Lancaster Intelligencer Journal had a delightful story about the gathering. Here's how it started:
Hundreds of people gathered under a yellow-and-white-striped tent on a windswept Christiana farm Friday afternoon to celebrate the right of all Americans to drink raw milk.
The crowd, some from as far away as California and New Mexico, also would have liked to celebrate America's independence from government regulation of the sale of unpasteurized milk.
But about half of all states ban raw milk sales, citing safety concerns. Many others impose strict limits on producers.
Those restrictions spurred the creation last year of the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund, which celebrated its first anniversary Friday with a picnic on the farm of Jake and Barbie Zook, who produce and sell raw milk.
We especially liked this line: The diverse crowd included Amish and "English" milk producers and other farmers, health-conscious consumers and civil libertarians.
Who said the Amish cannot be part of some strange bedfellows!
Those who were not invited to attend got this throwaway line: Proponents of raw milk claim pasteurization — the long-practiced process of heating milk to kill bacteria and pathogens such as E. coli and listeria — destroys good bacteria, enzymes and raw fats that boost the immune system, aid digestion and fight disease.
Yea party-poopers! It's a good read, however, and can be found here.
The violations of the federal Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) regulations documented by the FDA pose a public health hazard because, without adequate controls, products made by Captain’s Select Seafood could harbor pathogenic bacteria, such as Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes. Food products with these kinds of pathogens can cause serious illnesses in people who eat them.
The Department of Public Health (DPH) is issuing a warning to the public not to consume any soy sprouts produced from Chang Farms in Whatley, Mass. because of the presence of bacteria called Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes). 
Milk from a Jonestown-area farm has tested positive for bacteria that can make people sick, prompting a warning to customers to throw away any raw milk purchased there in the past month. 
We've been watching the HBO series on John Adams. We've been struck during the first five or so episodes at how often Mr. Adams was sick. His life certainly was not an easy one. Making those crossings of the North Atlantic in the winter under sail would be enough to give anyone a good cold.
listeriosis. Listeria can invade the body through a normal and intact gastrointestinal tract. Once in the body, Listeria can travel through the blood stream but the bacteria are often found inside cells. Listeria also produces toxins that damage cells. Listeria invades and grows best in the central nervous system among immune compromised persons, causing meningitis and/or encephalitis (brain infection). In pregnant women, the fetus can become infected, leading to spontaneous abortion, stillbirths, or sepsis (blood infection) in infancy. 
On Thursday, lawmakers squashed a bill that would have allowed farmers to sell unlimited quantities of unpasteurized milk. Supporters of the bill called it a watershed measure that would have bolstered local economies and significantly improved prospects for small- and mid-size dairy operations in the state.
"Officials charged with overseeing public health and ensuring the safety of our food have some explaining to do over their handling of two listeria contaminations this month.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced a new draft compliance policy for control of Listeria monocytogenes (Lm) in ready-to-eat (RTE) foods that for the first time creates different policies for foods that support growth of the organism and foods that do not. AMI has long sought the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) to adopt a similar science-based policy which reflects international standards adopted by Europe, Canada and other nations. 
from Bulgaria's southern municipalities of Dupnitza, Rila, and Kocherinovo will be examined for the dangerous Listeriosis infection after consuming contaminated milk in their kindergardens.
bratwurst made by J&B Meats. MDA officials says consumers should avoid both the smoked pork and beef bratwurst made by the Barnesville, MN meat company.
As a dairy farmer and milk processor, the century old Whittier Farms was unique in Massachusetts. The decision announced by Wayne Whittier that the family-owned corporation would not re-open its processing plant comes as no surprise to the hard pressed Massachusetts dairy farm industry. 
the products to the plant, now it would be nice to know exactly how that happened, but that is part of the ongoing investigation," said Dr. Alfred DeMaria, state director of communicable disease control.
Linda Bock at the Worcester Telegram & Gazette News yesterday (Jan. 9) wrote what might end up being the definitive wrap up piece on the Whittier Farms listeriosis outbreak. 
Dead is an 87-year old Norfolk County man. State health officials are declining to give out the man's name. He died in the hospital, where he had been sent after becoming ill in November.
…has taken a unique approach to farming as we milk the cow, haul the raw milk to our processing plant in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts and then sell the processed milk at our milk store and at our processing plant. The whole process from cow to cup is two days, which means farm fresh milk to our satisfied and loyal customers. We have revived the old method of bottling milk in glass bottles. The glass bottles keep the milk colder, which means the milk stays fresher, giving the milk a sweet and smooth taste. Our milk is also bottled in plastic and cardboard for those who prefer this convenience. 
