Raw Milk Debate Redux - Lets call it REAL milk

by Scott K
(Merrickville)

I want to link up 2 stories that have appeared in the news recently. You may recall that Ontario farmer Michael Schmidt won his lengthy trial for the right to sell raw milk to customers at his dairy co-op. He successfully argued that members are aware of the health risks of raw milk; they chose to consume it because they believe it is healthier than the plastic packaged variety.

(By the way, Canada is the only G8 country where the sale of raw milk is illegal.)

The other story concerns record high levels of heart disease and related risk factors affecting Canadians. The new at-risk populations include young adults in their 20s and 30s, women between 35 and 45, Canadians age 50 to 64, aboriginal Canadians and people of south Asian, African and Caribbean descent.

What's the connection? It's simple; the more we consume prepared, pre-packaged, and processed foods, the greater the impact on our population health! This is the 9,000 lb elephant in the room that NO ONE - not the government, and certainly not 'agri-business' - wants to talk about.

Our whole food industry is based on the idea of least possible costs. In other words, if there is a cheaper way to manufacture, package and deliver food to the consumer, that's the way that will be chosen, regardless of the ultimate REAL cost, which is explained in the 3rd paragraph above.

And Canadians are swallowing this (literally and figuratively). There have never been more 'diet' and 'fat-free' and 'fortified' food products on the market, at the same time we have record high levels of obesity and lifestyle-related diseases, even in children.

To bring it back to raw milk (maybe we ought to start calling it REAL milk), the white fluid you buy in those plastic bags is NOT milk. It WAS milk, before all the health-promoting nutrients were processed out of it, and artificial vitamins (because that's the cheapest way) were dumped back in.

REAL milk, from cows that graze in pastures, is a REAL health food. Dairy farmers used to 'dip' their own raw milk from the tanks before shipping, and feed it to their families. I think they had the right idea.

So, what to do about heart disease, childhood obesity, and all the related ills? Well for starters, DON"T wait for the 'gummint' to come up with a 'program' to fix the problem. And we don't need a 'celebrity spokesperson' to tell us what to do.

If your kids are fat, it's because they're eating junk (and who buys it?) Improve their diet at least, if you can't fix your own. Buy real, fresh fruits and vegetables. Take the time to cook a real meal. Make the odd stop at Macdonalds a rare treat instead of a regular visit. And understand YOU have to take responsibility for your health and your kid's health, because BIG AGRI-BUSINESS and BIG GOVERNMENT sure aren't.