Raw Milk Crusade
Continues In California

Raw milk producers continue to face tough legal and regulatory challenges in California. There have been some wins in the political arena for unprocessed milk. However, these fresh milk farmers are still not "feeling the love" because of Governor Schwarzenegger's vetoing of SB 201 which contains world class safety and regulatory standards for fresh milk.

The fresh milk political climate in California directly impacts the feasibility of continued fresh milk production. The outcome of this fluctuating political atmosphere can affect raw milk access to the people in California and, in fact, well beyond the state's borders.

There was a monumental Senate Raw Milk Safety and Consumer Choice Hearing on Senate Bill 201 held in June, 2008 in Sacramento. It was well attended and a huge success for non-pasteurized milk allies. The hearing provided California lawmakers with the scientific information they needed to craft a safer and more applicable regulating bill.

This Senate Bill 201, Assuring Safety and Consumer Choice for Fresh Milk, therefore, easily passed both houses of the legislature with nearly unanimous approval. But, the fight for non-pasteurized milk's continual distribution is not over as disappointingly...

This follow-up hearing because of the dissatisfaction of AB 1735, took place between Plaintiffs Organic Pastures Dairy Company and Claravale Farm, Inc. raw milk dairies and the State of California and A.G. as the Defendants.

At this hearing and under sworn testimony, it was asked whether or not the AB 1735 ten-coliform standard protects human health and safety. The answer came as, "I don't believe it does," from Ron Hull, Ph.D., Director of Dairy Microbiology, AU, (ret.) To read the full text of this fresh milk hearing, click here.

Dr. Hull continued ..."The coliform count is not a monitor for pathogens in raw milk whereas direct testing is." He believed coliform count is not reliable when used as an index of pathogen contamination in raw milk.

Raw milk is a very different food from pasteurized milk and requires different more applicable direct testing to assure food safety. Dr. Hull did not believe AB 1735 was an effective raw milk food safety standard to protect public health.

Plus, this difficult to meet ten-coliform testing standard could regulate fresh milk farmers out of business.

Senate Bill 201 followed this AB 1735. It came about as a means to create better safety standards, in fact, to make it one of the best in the country. Additionally, this appropriate and stringent fresh milk testing required in SB 201 would not serve to potentially drive raw milk producers out of business.

Senate Bill 201 incorporates the HACCP program which is a food safety plan recommended as the preferred and a more effective food safety measure. Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point, is an internationally recognized system for ensuring that food products are safe and wholesome to eat.

You can view the August 30, 2008 SB 201 fresh milk hearings below.

Well, this lucky homeowner in England gets to enjoy their fresh lactic acid beverage delivered right to their doorstep. Awe, what a life! I would imagine they are happy their regulations don't largely restrict this phenomenal food choice.

I would also believe this untreated milk comes from grass fed cows, proper animal husbandry training is followed, and appropriate safety tests are taken.

I believe we can figure out, with our brilliant minds and tremendous resourcefulness in the United States, how to safely market, for a larger marketplace, this untreated milk product like the Europeans do?

We can learn about the fresh milk marketing intelligence of these Europeans to better educate us here in the U.S.A. How wise they are not to have abandoned historically nutritional raw milk that has nourished several generations before them. Perhaps, their fresh milk consumption has contributed to their high intellect in this area.

Maybe Governor Schwarzenegger is unaware of the beautiful physiques and perfectly straight teeth of peoples that consumed fresh milk as part of their diets. To view peoples thriving on traditional foods, like raw milk, please view the astounding nutritional video on my home page. These human beings were not plagued with the disheartening degenerative diseases of today.

If one is to regularly consume this untreated milk beverage, they and their friends will most likely observe a healthier, rosier complexion. One would also note the improvements in their digestion. Hmmm could it be all of those live probiotics, friendly bacteria working to strengthen our bodies and enhance our digestive system, that nature provides ever so abundantly in this nourishing beverage?

There has got to be some good in this temporary defeat. Maybe it will help get the consumer to delve further into why so many people strongly support and are passionate about raw milk. Why are people crusading so strongly for raw milk access? Simply, because they have experienced the wonders of this phenomenal food unlike any other. They have seen the improvements in their health and that of their children. They have watched their families flourish on untreated milk.

The unadulterated truth of this historically highly prized valuable food must come out. It has to...

Since Governor Schwarzenegger says he is very concerned with food safety, then let's get the nation's best safety standards requirements in place for raw milk. Those extensive requirements that strengthen food safety standards are met in SB 201 and surpass the safety standards of AB 1735, which is currently in place.

Plus, since SB 201 would support the safe production of raw milk with clearly defined regulatory processes, more raw milk production would be encouraged to the great benefit of people in California.

Surely, Governor Schwarzenegger will come to support the rigid and ground breaking raw milk safety standards in SB 201 that will provide a well regulated, safe, fresh milk dairy product to the people of California. Hopefully in the near future, he will also come to be a huge promoter of this vital food source.

There is a powerful demand growing in the United States for real, unadulterated foods. The people want safe food, but not at the expense of sacrificing nutrient quality. We cannot sacrifice any more nutrient quality in this country. Look around...

Though SB 201 was vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger and since he currently does not support this bill, the crusade continues to bring its world class safety and regulatory standards for fresh milk to fruition.

What has gone so wrong with the health of human beings? We cannot keep on the same nutritional path. Are our nutritional policies failing us? We must educate ourselves on enzyme rich nutritional foods that bring about robust health, including raw milk. We must teach how to prevent disease from occurring in the first place. When there is a challenge with a food, try to address the cause of the problem, don't kill the living food as the easy way out.

When there are challenges with managing a food source, the solution is not to basically sterilize the food source. Unfortunately, many perceived good solutions create many further problems. The solution is to properly manage the food source without negatively altering its nutritional status.

Have our insurance premiums gone through the roof and do they continue to increase? Could it be because our health is getting worse and worse? Well, I believe we can reverse this tide. We must be consuming foods that bring life to the human body. Raw milk brings life to the human body.

Uneducation and fear cannot drive decisions. Accurate education and understanding how critical living real whole foods (non-radiated, non-chemically laden, non-hydrogenated, non-refined, non-processed) are to the health of our bodies, would steer our nutritional policies in a better direction.

Nutritional policies should support whole foods that have nourished man for thousands of years. Nutritional policies should not support adulterated, refined, altered, and nutritionally compromised foods that are reeking havoc in the human body. Furthermore, it is not good to mess with mother nature, as the negative repercussions are most likely to follow.

The crusade for bringing more fresh untreated milk, in the most safe manner, to the market will continue. It is time for the industrialized nations to be nutritionally reawakened, to regain this lost vital knowledge, on the outstanding qualities of this best food on the planet.

1. Consider making a donation to the Farm-To-Consumer-Legal Defense Fund, which is providing legal representation to the two California dairies and is crucial to fighting the current standards in AB 1735 so we can still find the milk on store shelves.

2. Call your California lawmakers and tell them how you feel. They listened and responded to us by passing SB 201 out of the Legislature with only four no votes. We need them to be just as responsive when we take this up again in January. For contact information, go to www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html.

3. Call the Governor's office and tell him how you feel.

4. Continue telling your store managers how important raw milk is to you. There was strong vocal support from major raw milk retailers at our hearings and behind the scenes. If you are a Whole Foods customer, let them know you want them to keep fighting for us. Their political clout will continue to be critical going forward.

5. Write letters to editors, post on blogs, and tell your friends about the significant health benefits of raw milk. More enthusiastic consumers means more voices in our lawmaker's ears.

Californians have made huge strides in leading the nationwide effort to assure raw milk safety and consumer choice! Let's be proud of the progress as we press forward in this campaign for nature's most perfect food!

Thanks, Dean Florez

• It is a living food, like fruits and vegetables - has same basic functions as those foods
• Pasteurization kills those living aspects of fresh whole milk - those aspects are white cells, immune cells that protect us from infection
• It contains a whole host of enzyme systems which are antimicrobial and there are also digestive enzymes which assist in digesting the milk which are destroyed with pasteurization
• It increases immunity, and certainly gut immunity
• Lactic acid bacteria, which are a key part of gut immunity, are actually promoted to grow in raw milk
• It does not allow spoilage organisms and pathogens to grow because of its unique living systems
• It is probably the best probiotic food we know, helping to keep the bad bacteria in our bodies at bay

Campbell-McBride has had tremendous success in treating the above disorders with the methods explained in this excellent book. In fact, Campbell-McBride helped her own daughter recover from autism.

Many parents of children with various health challenges, have noted improvements in the health of their children after incorporating probiotic superfood fresh milk into their diets.

How fantastic that Europe is providing raw milk vending machines in schools to support the health and digestive systems of the growing children. Fresh milk is a food my family loves.

• Many high regulatory standards are first in the nation
• Increases consumer protection above the current laws
• Unpasteurized milk dairy must provide independent lab samples twice per week
• Raw milk is tested for pathogens eight times more frequently
• Fresh milk dairies may not receive milk from non-fresh milk dairies that have not met these strict legal requirements
• Supports consumer choice by keeping safe, immune system strengthening living milk in the stores