Raw milk controversy highlights worldwide differences

A protester’s hunger strike in Canada has put the spotlight once again on the controversial consumption of raw milk, which gained popularity during the raw food and organic movement but is considered a health risk in some parts of the world and a luxury in others.

The world is divided when it comes to the consumption and distribution of unpasteurized milk.  In France, farmers set up roadside raw milk vending machines and the French consider unpasteurized milk and cheeses the height of freshness. Raw milk is also freely consumed in Italy, Germany and the UK, where Queen Elizabeth is reportedly a fan.

But in Canada and parts of the US, the distribution of raw milk is illegal.

Meanwhile, supporters in the US and Canada joined a protester’s hunger strike for the right to drink raw milk after Canadian courts killed the country’s lone Cow Share Canada program and found dairy farmer Michael Schmidt guilty of selling raw milk.

For 17 years Schmidt has dodged in and of courtrooms and media headlines in Ontario, Canada, for his vocal crusade touting the health benefits of drinking unpasteurized milk and selling it to consumers.

But after the courts overturned an acquittal last month, the German-born agriculturalist embarked on a hunger strike that’s drawing the support of raw milk advocates in Canada and across the border in the US.

Advocates for the consumption of unpasteurized milk like the Campaign for Real Milk in Washington DC claim that pasteurizing or heating the milk kills many of the beneficial micro-organisms that help with digestion and destroy vitamins. They also argue that pasteurization has been linked to conditions like allergies and tooth decay, and that commercial milk comes from cows that have been fed antibiotics and contain increased levels of growth hormones.

Food safety authorities in Canada and the US, meanwhile, maintain that raw milk is dangerous and poses serious health risks, including E.coli, salmonella, kidney failure, and in extreme, rare cases, paralysis and death.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, from 1998 through 2008, 1,676 people in the US fell ill due to consuming raw milk or unpasteurized products, resulting in 191 hospitalizations and two deaths.

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Vegetarian, Raw milk and Vegan with Bill & Sheila