Milk. Do You Like it Raw?
Written by DCist Contributor Stephanie Taylor
Douglas Powell, a food scientist at Kansas State University, told the Atlanta Journal Constitution that consumers who seek raw milk are just part of a trend embraced by an affluent, food-obsessed culture. Whether you think affluence is part of the question or not, there are a growing number of Washingtonians who are doing just that, and they have organized themselves to bring un-pasteurized milk to the District, despite having to skirt various laws in order to do so.
This lactic contraband is milk that has not been pasteurized (to kill bacteria) or homogenized (to prevent the separation of butterfat in the milk). The kind purveyed in underground markets generally come from hormone and antibiotic-free cows that have been fed green grass in the summer, spring and fall and other natural products in the winter. Raw milk is currently the subject of controversy around America, with heated advocates on both sides of the debate.
Here in the District, raw milk proponents have gotten organized.
Photo by christaki.
Underground networks have coordinated themselves to bring raw milk (and raw milk derivatives such as cheese, yogurt, and sour cream) to the greater D.C. area. One of D.C.'s major networks, which asked us to remain unidentified due to its illegality, receives its wares from a farmer who raises Jersey milking cows: those reputed to produce the creamiest milk. Customers usually order their food a week in advance and pick-up their orders at various locations throughout the metro area. It's all organic, meaning the farm has been free from chemicals for seven years (the U.S. government only requires a farm to be pesticide-free for five years before it can be labeled "organic"), although this farmer did not bother with official certification.
One network in the city started with a mere 20 people two years ago, and now has more than 850 members. One of the group's founders estimates that there are more than 5,000 people in the D.C. area alone who receive products through their extended groups.
"All we have had to do was put our foot forward, and it took off," the group founder says. "So many people are looking for this type of food and it's impossible to find."
More specific information about this group, and those of like-minded beliefs and palates, spreads only via word-of-mouth (meaning we can't tell you how to reach them). This is out of necessity, since raw milk is currently illegal in 22 states, including Virginia and Maryland, as well as the District, according to a Weston A. Price Foundation-sponsored website, which tracks legislation. Five states permit the sale of raw milk for animal consumption but not human, but that doesn't stop some individuals from sharing the "pet food" with the rest of the family. In other states, laws allow for people to drink raw milk from their own cow, so cow-sharing programs have been established. Virginia is one of them, and cow-shares are available through the Herndon Chapter of the Weston A. Price Foundation.
Activists for raw milk say pasteurization destroys enzymes, diminishes vitamin content, kills beneficial bacteria and promotes pathogens. Drinking pasteurized milk can aggravate allergies and lead to increased tooth decay, colic in infants, growth problems in children, osteoporosis, arthritis, heart disease and cancer, raw milk proponents say.
But the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration aren't sold. Government officials claim there is no added health benefit from drinking raw milk, and it could contain deadly bacteria such as salmonella, E. coli, Listeria, campylobacter and brucella. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says between 1998 and 2005 there were 45 outbreaks of food-borne diseases tied to non-pasteurized milk and cheese. Because of these outbreaks, more than 1,000 people got sick and two died.
There's currently a heated debate in the Pennsylvania state legislature whether to loosen or tighten current laws governing sale and distribution of raw milk in the state. Proponents of the sale of raw milk will acknowledge there is a health risk, but they believe it's small—especially compared to what they see as the potential benefits. They do, however, stress the importance of knowing your supplier and how she treats her animals.
As the battle rages on in health journals, legislatures and living rooms, the faithful will stick to their diets. Those looking to join them can do so by looking around in online communities. You'll have to find them for yourself, though. After all, anything tastes better the harder you've worked for it.