Raw Milk Recall – An Inquisition?

Many people are confused and have been misled by the raw milk recall headlines that appeared in the newspaper last month. I am going to attempt to give you the straight story as far as I can tell from press releases, and interviews with the state and the farmer in question. It’s impossible to do justice to the story in 2 or 3 paragraphs, so I hope you’ll bear with the length of this post. The story is complex but I feel it’s important to understand how our food is “protected” at the state and local levels of our government and how the small farmer is struggling for survival in a food system designed for mega-industrial agribusiness producers.

There are four players in this story. Mark McAfee, founder and owner of Organic Pastures Dairy Company (OP), the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), the Fresno County Department of Community Health and you the consumer.

The story begins a few weeks ago on September 21, 2006. On this day the CDFA ordered a recall of all raw products from Organic Pastures Dairy Company of Fresno County. Products affected included milk, buttermilk, cream, whey and colostrum.

The quarantine order came following a report that a 10-year old girl in San Bernadino County got sick with E. coli 0157:H7 after drinking the milk. The California Department of Health Services turned up three additional E. coli cases in children consuming raw milk, one a 7-year old Riverside County boy, an 8-year old San Diego County girl and an 8-year old San Diego County boy. The initial press release from the CDFA announced that “while laboratory samples of Organic Pastures raw milk have not detected E. coli 1057:H7 contamination, epidemiologic data collected by the DHS points to a link with Organic Pastures raw milk.”

Epidemiologic Data
What is epidemiologic data? Epidemiologic data is a collection of data gathered from the victim which is used to discover source and cause. In this case according to an official in CDFA Public Affairs that I talked to, public health officials interviewed the family of the children (gathering "epidemiologic data") in a quest to find a common exposure. These public health officials discovered that raw milk was one of several foods that the children ingested in common. Yet no other product recall was initiated. Only raw milk was recalled. Apparently hard evidence of a link to an outbreak is not a prerequisite for a recall. OP milk was recalled from the shelves before any empirical tests were conducted.

As epidemiologic literature states, “correlation does not equal causation”. According to McAfee, his cows and their manure are tested daily in his on-farm lab and have never tested positive for E. coli. This recall put McAfee in a very precarious position. If he continued to fight the CDFA and proceed with a lawsuit, the likelihood of his products getting back on the market was slim. And in the meantime his brand, reputation and revenues would continue to take a beating. So McAfee struck a bargain with the CDFA. He agreed to drop a $100-million-dollar brand-defamation lawsuit if the state lab and an independent lab could produce no E. coli from his product.

Quarantine Lifted
On 9/26/06, McAfee’s tests were confirmed by the state lab and BSK Analytical Laboratories in Fresno -- 100% negative results for E. coli 0157:H7. More than 2000 samples were taken and tested. On September 29, the CDFA lifted the quarantine on Organic Pastures raw whole milk, raw skim milk and raw cream. The press release qualified their statements by saying that even though they cleared Organic Pastures manufacturing operations, the Fresno County Department of Community Health still had restrictions in place that would only allow the sale of manufactured products like cheese. The restrictions were due to an unacceptably high somatic cell count.

Somatic Cells
Somatic cells are non-reproducing cells released in the udder that respond to bacterial challenges and increase with age. These somatic cells provide a means of defense against mastitis-causing bacteria that may have entered the udder. Their concentration in milk is directly related to the seriousness of such challenges and therefore they have been used for many years as a measure of udder health. But do they pose a threat to human health? No, because the somatic cells are not reproducing cells like bacteria. They won't infect humans consuming milk containing somatic cells. Since they are not viewed as a direct threat to human health, the US upper limit for somatic cells is 800,000cells/ml. California has set its limit at 600,000 cells per gram.

The state says that Organic Pastures samples indicated a somatic cell count over 600,000 cells/ml. McAfee has had tests done by the California Dairy Herd Improvement Association (CDHIA) who specializes in providing management data for milk producers. The CDHIA is considered to be the experts in measuring these cells and the dairy industry relies on their tests for payments and bonuses. The CDHIA uses a million-dollar machine and is accurate to a .002% variation. CDHIA reports show Organic Pastures somatic cell counts taken at the same time the Fresno County Health Department took their samples to be below 600,000 cells/ml. The CDHIA tests showed OP milk SCC counts from 350,000-540,000 in the normal range.

Why the discrepancy? According to McAfee, the county is using a human technician which results in a large test deviation. He says the county has long refused to have their tests performed by third parties and wants complete control over the process even though, in the past, county data was proven to be in error by a third party. Lack of 3rd party testing is a problem, especially when proprietary testing is technologically inferior.

In the week following, Fresno county finally OK’d the corrected somatic cell count and OP product was back on the shelf.

So what’s this recall really about?
Here’s the thing. Raw milk is nothing new. We humans have been drinking raw milk for thousands of years. And for good reason. Raw milk has natural enzymes, beneficial bacteria and antibodies. Raw milk is a rich source of fat soluble vitamins A and D because these cows are pasture-raised, absorbing life- and health-giving rays of the sun, eating grass filled with chlorophyll that is easily converted to good fatty acids and CLA, a potent antioxidant. Like any other food product, raw milk is perfectly safe when produced under sanitary and cow-biology-affirming conditions.

Raw dairy farmers opt out of the industrial complex since there is little need for things like growth hormones, antibiotics and agrochemicals. They find they have no sanitation problem or any of the diseases that result from raising animals in a crowded monoculture and then feeding it things it wasn’t designed to eat. That’s why someone like Mark McAfee can’t even find E. coli in his cows manure! The cows and their milk are clean. Only beneficial bacteria are found. These cows have been raised cleanly in a humane and sustainable manner….on green organic pastures.

In contrast, the modern dairy business is a multi billion dollar industry built upon the industrial complex of machinery and vast array of chemicals from hormones to fertilizers. Unfortunately the pursuit of profits by large commercial dairy operations has led to practices that may be good for the single bottom line but bad for the cows and the consumers who drink their milk. Bad news also for the longevity of these dairies. They are now failing at an alarming rate because of all-time low milk prices at $10-11 per hundred pounds of milk. Tested safe, raw milk sells for more than $100 per hundred pounds. 

The dairy industry and the local, state and federal governmental organizations they influence take the official position that raw milk is unsafe. But could it be that the cost required to elevate large-scale operations, across the industry, to the level of a good organic raw milk producer is economically unacceptable to Wall Street, corporate boards and their shareholders? The technology and business model required to maintain safe, clean dairies that deliver fresh raw milk exists. But an industry that maximizes profit at all costs ensures that large commercial dairies will never change unless they are forced to change through market demand. Could it be that the dairy industry, with the assistance of the regulatory powers that are controlled by the industry, are fighting to restrict the availability of raw milk as a desperate and fearful grab for dominance? If so, this a capital assault against the rights of consumers who want the freedom to choose what many doctors and scientists believe is one of the best defenses against immune depression and the chronic disease epidemic -- enzyme-rich, nutrient-dense, biodiverse, unprocessed food.

Comments

[Chicharronita]

This is a great analysis of the opposition being mounted against raw milk. As a long-time consumer of raw dairy, I find this inquisition against Organic Pastures alarming. I wonder if it was an attempt to discourage people who have heard of raw dairy's health benefits from actually trying it, since their numbers are probably larger than those of us who have researched this topic.

[Audrey Wiebe]

I have been reading the lively conversations about OP & Claravale milk shortages and felt I had to share my current experiences with raw milk supply. I had been a member of this community until I moved to Boulder, CO this past July. I used to drive and hour or more round trip every week to Rainbow from Moss Beach/Half Moon Bay area and cross my fingers that I could get enough (or any) raw milk to last us a week.

I was really concerned about finding a reliable raw milk source for my kids here, especially since raw milk is not legal in Colorado. I found and joined a cow share program and have found it to be a most wonderful experience. I get as much raw milk & cream I need weekly, at a significantly lower cost than OP or Claravale, I ride my bike 5 minutes to pick it up and I speak to the ranchers directly when I have questions or need to make changes in my order/share.

I share this with you because I remember acutely the frustrations trying to get milk for my family. Since then I've often thought that a cow share program in California, similar to how we would contact ranchers directly for grass-fed meats, would be a better way to ensure the quality & quantity we ask for in our dairy products, foster better relationships with those who feed us and be an opportunity to participate in land/animal stewardship. I do understand that there is not as much land for large cow shares in the Bay Area but there are still many possibilities. I remember John Jeavons saying that the future of sustainable farming and feeding ourselves is not in big farms but in many one acre farms, even if they are only backyard farms. For all of the wonderful, rich, earthly foods that California so bathes in (that I miss dearly), I send out this seed thought in hopes that someone might find a way to bring a more intimate & sharing culture of dairy to its inhabitants and broaden the variety of raw milk sources available to all.

[Carla]

Chicharronita, I was wondering the same thing. And, yes, I think we should all be alarmed. Our food freedoms are being taken away before our very eyes. Even people who don't drink raw milk should be concerned; it's a threat to our civil liberties. Thanks your comments. Carla

[Carla]

Audrey, lovely and interesting post. I haven't heard of anyone in my circles doing a cow share. But lots of people are frustrated by the shortage and may resort to that if conditions don't improve on the shelves soon. ~carla

[Marji]

Hi,

I have been drinking raw milk for over a year now and have seen a major change for the better in my over all health. I have not been sick with either a cold or the flu bug that goes around yearly and have felt better than I did when I was a kid! I have tried both Claravale Dairy and Organice Pastures Dairy and love both of them. They each have their own great taste (due to Claravale having mainly Jersey cows and Organic Pastures having Holstein cows)Correct me if I am wrong. I have personally spoken to Mark McAfee and believe him to be an extremely knowledgable and truly down to earth, honest and hard working man, who is just trying to make a decent living and bring to the public the truth about raw dairy and the life giving forces within these wonderful and delicious products. The public needs to stand behind not only Mark, but all the farmers and bring back the "lost days" of true, clean and healthy quality milk, the way nature intended. There are many cultures that have existed primarily on raw milk, cream and butter and have literaly thrived, with no disease of any type. Isn't it interesting that pasteurized, and homogenized milk and processed foods have taken over our country and the heads of these conglomerates are unbelievably wealthy and our country has become unbelievably unhealthy! We need to get back to basics. I will leave you all with this thought. When was the last time you actually drove down a country road (there aren't many, if any left these days)and saw cows grazing happily and peacefully in green pastures? Actually, when was the last time you even saw a cow in real life? You probably haven't, as nowadays, most cows that are used for store bought milk are in total confinement and never see a pasture, much less daylight. It is so terribly sad to think that these sweet, docile creatures are so inhumanely treated, so that man can feed his financial greed. We have no say over what goes into our packaged foods, sodas, meats, cereals, etc. We must stand up to the industry and loudly state that we are through taking the lies and deciet regarding our food and health and go back to the way nature intended our food and drink to be. We don't need chemicals and poisons in anything that we use or ingest, as I believe it has caused more problems and diseases than would have happened if we just continued to do things naturally!