A Financial Post article from March 5th, 2018, had the headline “You can now go to prison in Canada for providing raw milk, Seriously” this sparked discussions on the controversial legality of raw milk consumption. While raw milk is legal in certain U.S. states, Canada allows it only if sourced from personally owned cows. This divisive topic pits those advocating for nutritional freedom against lawmakers and cautious parents concerned about potential health risks. Let’s look at both options.
Team Raw Milk: Research indicates that heating or pasteurizing raw milk can lead to the destruction and poor absorption of vital vitamins and minerals. For instance, raw milk’s calcium is more efficiently utilized by the body compared to pasteurized milk. Folate, B12, B6, and Vitamin A are negatively impacted by heat, while raw milk excels in providing Vitamin D, iron, and iodine. Historical connections between pasteurization and scurvy outbreaks underscore the impact on Vitamin C loss. Despite concerns, raw milk enthusiasts argue for its nutritional benefits, emphasizing the importance of sourcing from reputable farms.
It’s crucial to trace the origin of raw milk, favoring those from traditional, well-maintained farms. Factors such as the cows’ diet, use of antibacterial products, soil and grass treatment, and stress levels of the cows contribute to the quality of raw milk.
Fun Fact: Louis Pasteur’s 19th-century research, initially focused on beer and wine, led to the invention of pasteurization to eliminate bacteria from milk, preventing spoilage. Various pasteurization methods, including Vat, High Temperature Short Time (HTST), and Ultra Pasteurization (UT), have since become integral to the U.S. milk production process.
Team Pasteurized: While the desire for fresh, unprocessed food is universal, consuming raw milk comes with considerable risks, prompting the pasteurization process to eliminate harmful germs. Historical events, like the bovine tuberculosis epidemic, resulted in the introduction of pasteurization, saving lives and increasing milk’s shelf life.
Raw milk consumption, particularly from inadequately regulated sources, poses health risks, leading to outbreaks and severe illnesses. Vulnerable populations, including pregnant women and young children, face higher risks. Despite increasing legalization in some states, raw milk has caused more illnesses and hospitalizations compared to pasteurized milk. Countries like Canada, Australia, and Scotland have prohibited raw milk for human consumption.
Dispelling Myths: Team Pasteurized challenges common raw milk myths, emphasizing that pasteurized milk provides similar nutritional values without the associated health risks. Arguments about the minimal impact on fat-soluble vitamins and heat-stable minerals support the safety and efficacy of pasteurized milk.
Conclusion: While Team Pasteurized acknowledges the higher nutrient content in raw milk, concerns about safety and the availability of nutrients from alternative sources lead them to advocate for pasteurized milk. In contrast, individuals like Marie-Eve Rioux from Team Raw Milk, having grown up with the natural source, strongly believe in its benefits for all age groups. The ongoing debate between these teams underscores the complex intersection of nutritional choices and health considerations.
On Mon, Feb 5, 2024 at 7:00 PM Domonique Purpurin <pdpurpura@gmail.com> wrote:
Introduction: On March 5th, 2018 the Financial Post printed an article titled “You can now can to prison in Canada for providing raw milk, Seriously”. Raw milk is legal in several states in the USA, but in Canada it is only legal to drink raw milk if it’s coming from cows that you own. This is a very controversial subject as many people feel they want freedom to choose the most nutrient dense foods and on the other side lawmakers and prudent parents want foods to pose the least health risks possible.
Team Raw milk:
Research shows that several vitamins and minerals are destroyed when raw milk is heated/pasteurized and that many become poorly absorbed. Here are several examples: Calcium from raw milk is used more effectively by the body than from pasteurized milk. Folate’s protein carrier becomes inactivated during pasteurization. B12’s binding protein is diminished by pasteurization and B6 becomes poorly absorbed. Vitamin A is degraded by heat. Raw milk is a better source of vitamin D, iron and iodine. Vitamin C is diminished by pasteurization.
In fact there is a strong link between when milk began to be pasteurized in the late 19th century and scurvy epidemics which illustrates the loss of vitamin C. Additionally, since many proteins in milk are inactivated during pasteurization, mineral absorption in the body is less likely. Raw milk is therefore better for strong bones and teeth, for building immunity and fighting infection. It’s even been shown to help with allergies and asthma. Many people consider raw milk to be safe as long as it comes from a good source. Deli meat is ten times more likely to cause illness from listeria than raw milk on a per serving basis!
Of course knowing the origin of the raw milk is greatly suggested. A whole raw milk from old-fashioned cows that feed on green pasture, produced in clean conditions, will contain more nutrients and fewer toxins. It is very easy to visit local farms in the area and get to know how the farmer feeds and takes care of their cows or goats.
Do they use antibacterial products when cows get sick?
Do they use other type of food than just grass?
How do they treat the soil and grass that the cows feed from?
Which products do they use to disinfect the teats?
The stress level of the cows is also something to look for; how the farmer treats the cows can level up stress and level up the hormones in the milk production.
Fun fact
French chemist and microbiologist Louis Pasteur spent part of his career researching how bacteria could sour beverages. His experiments primarily focused on beer and wine, but he also discovered the same properties in milk. To prevent spoilage, Pasteur invented a process to remove bacteria by heating and cooling milk. He conducted the first experiment in 1862 and its success — now called pasteurization — is an integral part of the milk production process in the United States.
There are a number of different ways to pasteurize milk — each process heats and cools milk to different temperatures. Vat Pasteurization, the original process that became standard during Pasteur’s time, heats milk for at least 30 minutes to 145° F. This way to pasteurize milk now is largely used to create starter cultures for cheese, yogurt and buttermilk, as well as to pasteurize some ice cream mixtures.
The most common process in the United States, called High Temperature Short Time (HTST) pasteurization, raises the temperature of cold raw milk to 161° F for at least 15 seconds. Then, it’s rapidly chilled back to 39° F, its original temperature.
Another form of pasteurization heats milk to 280° F for just two seconds. This is called Ultra Pasteurization (UT) and creates a shelf-stable container of milk that does not need to be refrigerated.
Team pasteurized:
As much as a lot of us would like to live and eat healthy, consume food and drink as fresh as possible and in as close to their original forms as can be, drinking raw milk is not something we should take lightly.
Without undergoing pasteurization process to kill harmful and disease-causing germs, raw milk and milk products made from it can pose severe health risks, including death. Due to an epidemic of bovine tuberculosis in the US and Europe in early 1900s, an estimated 65,000 people died over a 25-year period from contaminated dairy. Pasteurization was then introduced to curb the epidemic. The common process involves heating raw milk to 72˚C for 15 ~ 40 seconds in order to kill bacteria, yeasts and molds. It also increases the product’s shelf life and keeps it fresh for about 2 ~ 3 weeks.
Anybody is susceptible if they consume milk and milk products that contain disease-causing bacteria, which include Salmonella, E. coli and Listeria. The risk is even higher for pregnant women, the elderly, those with weakened immunity, and young children who are still developing their immune system.
Since the sale of raw milk has been made legal in more states over the years, the number of disease outbreaks associated to raw milk has increased. A few studies have shown that more than half of all outbreaks linked to raw milk have involved at least one child under the age of 5.
Furthermore, raw milk has caused way more illnesses and hospitalizations than pasteurized milk. Many countries have banned raw milk for human consumption, including Canada, Australia and Scotland. It’s prohibited in 20 American states, and it cannot be sold across American state lines.
Here are some of the myths that raw milk advocates may claim raw milk as a better choice than pasteurized milk:
1) The Nutritional Benefits
• All the water-soluble vitamin B’s and C found in raw milk are already at low levels to begin with. When they are lost through the heating process of pasteurization, the loss is considered insignificant. We still need to make up for our daily needs from other foods, whether you consume raw milk or not.
• Fat-soluble vitamins, such as A, D, E, and K are minimally decreased through heating.
• The mineral contents in milk are very heat stable, they don’t get destroyed by pasteurization.
• We still get more or less the same nutritional values from drinking pasteurized milk but without the risk of disease that comes from drinking raw milk.
2) Eating Raw Milk Products Is Safer Than Drinking Raw Milk
• Dairy products made with raw milk, like soft cheese, ice cream and yogurt, are equally dangerous and can still cause severe illnesses and infections. When consuming dairy products, make sure they are made from pasteurized milk.
3) Raw Milk Is Safe If It Comes From Healthy Animals
• Healthy Animals can still carry harmful bacterial/germs, such as Salmonella, E. coli and Listeria. They can contaminate raw milk and make it and products made from it unsafe to consume.
4) Organic Raw Milk Is Safe
• Organic milk and its products are only safe if they are pasteurized.
5) Raw Milk Is Safe If It’s From Humane Farms In Sanitary Conditions
• Even dairy farms with very good safety practices can still contain disease-causing germs. One batch of raw milk tested negative for all harmful bacteria doesn’t guarantee the next batch will also come back negative
Conclusion: Team Pasteurized recognize the higher nutrient content in raw milk but would not want to be liable if someone were to drink raw milk and get sick from bacteria that could have been killed by pasteurization. The nutrients lost to pasteurization are readily available in a wide variety of food and supplements sources in our modern day. And as for Team Raw Milk (as Eve), growing up with raw milk in abundance, i (Eve) believe in natural sources with less modifications to something that gives all the nutrients for infants, adults and elders needs. I believe that’s what made me strong and healthy. To this day, i can’t tolerate pasteurized milk but can easily down a big glass of fresh raw milk every day.
Marie-Eve Rioux, R.H.N