Eat What You Want?

I'm a pretty big supporter of raw milk. Frankly, I think there are far more dangerous foods out there, like transfats or E. coli ridden beef and spinach.

If you watch Food Inc. you'll see a woman whose 3 year old son died after eating a hamburger. Libel law prevents her from speaking out against beef companies in a public forum. No really, you can't say not to eat beef, even if it killed your only son.

I don't see any push to end beef production, even though there have been outbreaks that have caused death. So why exactly is raw milk outlawed?

Recently there's been a hubbub about raw milk in Wisconsin. Basically the state is going after an outspoken supporter of raw milk and they almost JAILED HIM because he was a public nuisance. In this case "public nuisance" meant that he appealed his case to the state supreme court.

As much as I support the movement, however, I can't quite get on board with his arguments. He says it's our right to choose what we want to eat. The government shouldn't be able to control food.

Here's a link to his 9:56 minute Youtube soapbox:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgMLbNfmOxk

Um, well, here's where I disagree, at least a little bit. The government SHOULD stop farms and food corporations from feeding us things that will kill us. Remember the red M&Ms? How about farms that don't check for E. coli? I don't trust corporations to do the right thing when money is at stake.

Need more proof that corporations are more interested in profit than in public health? Look at the mines in West Virginia. There's a reason we create laws to contain businesses. We need those laws to exist AND to function.

I believe raw milk isn't dangerous if it's subject to testing for bacteria. If there's a demand for a product, which there is, then the government should ensure that a safe product is available to consumers. If something can be safely produced and safely distributed, it should be allowed. Right now the government protects some companies but not others.

I'd like to see the government try to prevent Doritos and Oreos (for example, there are many, many other products I could list here) from hitting the market. They pose a health risk (look at childhood obesity) but there's no way government is going to forbid their sale. Seriously, what's worse, raw milk that contains natural antibodies, or artificial flavored foods laden with corn syrup, corn meal, and filled with fat.

The raw milk issue isn't just about the freedom to choose what you want to eat, it's about fair and prudent regulations. Whether or not you support raw milk, it should be disconcerting to realize that there is an inequity of practice within FDA, and that larger corporate farms are given more leeway with their products than small independent farmers. And which is more likely to ignore health concerns? It's not the little guy whose livelihood depends on a small market.