I’ve felt myself in an awkward position the last couple weeks. There are a number of promising developments on the raw milk front, and I’ve been loathe to report them.
As one example, I was in New Hampshire a few weeks ago, at The Co-op Food Store in Lebanon. It’s one of two large grocery stories within a few miles of each other in the Hanover/Lebanon area near Vermont, owned by local consumers. It’s heavy on organic and locally produced foods, but also carries the junk like Kellogg’s and Coke.
There, in the dairy case, were half gallon and gallon jugs of raw milk, along with a slick brochure from the farm producer promoting the benefits of raw milk. I asked one of the store’s dairy clerks about how it was that raw milk was now available for retail sale here, a state where it had been available only via purchase directly from farms. He explained that it had to do with some special arrangements both the farm and Co-op Food Stores had made with state agriculture officials in terms of more frequent inspections and guaranteeing liability insurance.
I didn’t want to know all that much and, in fact, avoided writing about it. I figured I’d just be giving John Sheehan, the chief dairyman at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, another target. He’s known to keep close tabs on individual state developments on raw milk, and to push his state agriculture mercenaries to fight against any loosening of regulations for making raw milk more accessible.
Shortly after the New Hampshire revelation, I learned that proposed restrictive legislation in Connecticut, aimed at halting retail sales of raw milk, has apparently run into trouble in the Environment Committee, and may not even make it out for a vote in the legislature. In an effort to make the proposal more appetizing, the Connecticut Department of Agriculture has agreed to further flexibility on pathogen testing requirements. Failure of the proposed legislation would be a big win for pro-raw-milk consumers. (Don’t expect the regulators to give up on this one without a big fight, though.)
In the meantime, there’s been news about some other potentially encouraging efforts in Maryland, which is John Sheehan’s home turf. The state has been maniacal in prohibiting even the hint of raw milk, going so far as to outlaw cowshares. Now, a state legislator is pushing, again, for legislation that would clear the way for cowshares. Kimberly Hartke has an excellent writeup on her blog.
And I thought to myself: This is crazy. I’m doing exactly what John Sheehan and his state regulator puppets of the world want–I’m feeling intimidated and shying away from challenging them. Hoping that, by ignoring them, things will get better. As flexible as Lykke is trying to be, I’m not sure there is the “in between” she suggests when it comes to food rights. Our experience shows ever more clearly that if you don’t have the clear right to certain foods, then those in power will continuously whittle away at your right, until you have nothing at all, witness the fact that raw milk is illegal in half the states, and the push is to make it that way in all the states. It is only by challenging them, openly and aggressively, that they will be defeated. Remaining quiet only helps their cause.
When the state assumes the authority (it was never given) to regulate that selection in any way they are infringing on our right to life. It isn’t a claim to regulate milk sales, it is a claim of ownership (slavery) over your body.
Steve Bemis made this comment after your last post:
"Is this warning unfairly targeted at raw milk? I think so, given the PCA’s and Hallmarks of the food-processing world. But why not warn? "
You describe a slick brochure on the benefits of raw milk in the New Hampshire Co-op example above. Was any information on the potential risks/risk groups also provided in the form of a label on the bottle, or written materials, for example? If not, would you be opposed to providing coop customers information on risks as well as benefits, even if for no other reason than some liability protection for the raw milk producer (and perhaps cover for the agriculture department that approved retail sale despite the known opposition by federal and state public health agencies such as FDA)?
http://www.engormix.com/allisonella_histaminiformans_a_novel_e_articles_355_GDL.htm
"In the 1940s and 1950s, Dougherty and his colleagues (Dougherty, 1942; Dain et al., 1955) studied the impact of ruminal acidosis, and noted that grain feeding also promoted ruminal histamine production. Histamine is a powerful inflammatory agent, and they concluded that there was direct correlation between the histamine level of ingesta and the well being of the animal. Histamine is formed from the decarboxylation of the amino acid, histidine, and even a small conversion of histidine to histamine can be toxic (Suber et al., 1979).
In the 1950s, Rodwell (1953) isolated histidine decarboxylating lactobacilli from sheep and horses fed grain-based rations. The potential involvement of lactobacilli was consistent with the observation that lactobacilli are highly pH-resistant bacteria that accumulate in the rumen when animals are fed an abundance of cereal grain. However, recent work indicated that histamine-producing lactobacilli could not be isolated from cattle that were fed 90% cracked corn or a commercial dairy ration (Garner et al., 2003)
Ruminal histidine enrichments from dairy cattle yielded a new bacterium that was classified as Allisonella histaminiformans (Garner et al., 2003).
A. histaminiformans is an obligate histidine fermenting bacterium that does not utilize other energy sources, produces histamine 3-fold faster than even the best lactobacilli and grows at pH values as low as 4.0. A. histaminiformans is not found in cattle consuming hay, but it is found at high numbers in cattle fed dairy rations."
"Conclusions
The role of histamine in the etiology of rumen acidosis has not been definitively described, but a variety of studies have shown that histamine can decrease rumen motility and increase the severity of laminitis (Aschenbach and Gabel, 2000; Takahashi and Young, 1981). The involvement of histamine in laminitis is supported by the observation that anti-histamines can be used as a treatment (Nilsson, 1963). Oral administration of histamine to cattle that were not acidotic did not induce laminitis, however, histamine is not absorbed rapidly from the rumen unless the pH is acidic (Aschenbach and Gabel, 2000).
Recent work indicates that the rumen has a previously unrecognized bacterium that produces histamine, A. histaminiformans. A. histaminiformans is a highly specialized bacterium that is only able to convert histidine to histamine. Because A. histaminiformans is a highly pH-resistant bacterium, it is better able to compete with other histidine-utilizing bacteria when the pH is low. A. histaminiformans could not be isolated from cattle fed hay, but it is found at high numbers in cattle fed dairy cattle rations. The ability of A. histaminiformans to grow in the rumen is promoted by acidic pH and a nutritional factor derived from silages (particularly alfalfa silage).
The nutritional factor appears to be a small positively charged molecule, but further work will be needed to define more precisely its exact nature. The observation that the growth factor can be derived from alfalfa silage could have practical significance. Logue et al. (2000) noted that dairy cattle fed grass silage had a significantly greater incidence of laminitis and foot lesions than cattle that were fed non-fermented dry forage"
Does anyone test their milk for the presence of A. Histaminiformans?Does pasteurization prevent multiple allergy syndrome?Should we be concerned about the presence of this abnormal bacteria in the cows manure and therefore in the milk?What does the FDA have to say about this dangerous pathogen.Obviously this bacteria affects the cow’s health negatively.Does it affect our health when we drink the milk?
Lets get answers to these questions.
Another example of the trouble you can get into when you don’t know enough about your bacteria:Oxalobacter formigenes is a beneficial bacteria that we need in our gut.
" 90% or urinary calculi are calcium oxalate stones. Oxalobacter formigenes is a oxalate degrading bacterium, colonizing the GI tract in humans. This study demonstrated a relationship between urinary oxalate levels and the intestinal bacterium, oxalobacter formigenes. The absence of the bacterium in the intestines appears to result in a higher risk of recurrent oxalate stone disease by causing hyperoxaluria."
Tunuguntla HSGR. Can the Recurrence of Oxalate Stone be prevented? Role of
in Stone Recurrence. Journal of Urology 165:246A, 2001.
Oxalobacter Formigenes is easily eliminated from our gut by some antibiotics and preservatives.It is in raw milk.
If we want to take the approach to food safety that finds a bacteria to blame for each illness,we will be very busy as these are just two of the thousands of new bacteria that are being discovered every day.Will we have to test each day’s milk for a few thousand separate bacteria? The presence of one causes a disease while the absence of another causes a different disease.
Interestingly, raw cheese has been associated with histamine poisoning, and the FDA has set limits for histamine in cheeses. Histamine poisoning is more often associated with fish, but dairy products, meats, and fermented vegetables can contain bacteria that produce histamines. Histamine is heat stable – I am not certain if pasteurization would destroy it (normal heating and cooking of fish containing histamine does not destroy it).
1. Appl Environ Microbiol. 1985 Oct;50(4):1094-6.
Isolation of histamine-producing Lactobacillus buchneri from Swiss cheese implicated in a food poisoning outbreak.
Sumner SS, Speckhard MW, Somers EB, Taylor SL.
A histamine-producing strain of Lactobacillus buchneri was isolated from Swiss cheese that had been implicated in an outbreak of histamine poisoning. It produced up to 4,070 nmol of histamine per ml in MRS broth supplemented with 0.1% histidine. The identification of this isolate was based on its biochemical, bacteriological, and DNA characterizations.
2. Factors Controlling Histamine Production in Swiss Cheese Inoculated with
Lactobacillus buchnerp
http://jds.fass.org/cgi/reprint/73/11/3050.pdf
"Swiss cheese was made from raw milk inoculated with various concentrations of
a histamine-producing strain of Lactobacillus buchneri.No histamine was detected in any of the Swiss cheese samples until after the brining stage. Perceptible growth of L. buchneri also did not occur until d e r the w mro om treatment. Therefore, control of histamine formation in Swiss cheese requires control of the number of histamineproducing bacteria in the raw milk. A 5.5% NaCl concentration in &Man, Rogosa, Sharpe (MRS) broth inhibited the production of histamine by L. buchneri, but the concentrations of NaCl typically found in Swiss cheese were not inhibitory. The histamine-producing isolate of L. buchneri survived heating at 49 to 80’C for 10
min, suggesting that this organism would"easily survive the normal heating process
applied to raw milk used prior to making Swiss cheese.
3. From Applied Dairy Microbiology, page 499:
Certain strains of Lactobacili and Lactococci found in raw milk and many cheese s possess the enzyme histidine carboxylase. Whereas levels of free histidine are usually very low in fresh milk, histidine concentration in aged cheeses…are often much higher from proteolysis of milk proteins during ripening.
4.. Biogenic amines in foods: Histamine and food processing
http://www.springerlink.com/content/ebluk4abdk7efmy4/
Biogenic amines, e.g. histamine, occur in many different foods. At high concentrations, they are risk factors for food intoxication, whereas moderate levels may lead to food intolerance. Sensitive persons, with insufficient diamine oxidase activity, suffer from numerous undesirable reactions after intake of histamine containing foods. Besides spoiled foodstuffs, especially fermented foods tend to contain elevated levels of biogenic amines, although their concentrations vary extensively not only between different food varieties but also within the varieties themselves. High histamine content in foods and beverages result from microbial contamination. The evidence of enteral histaminosis represents a challenge for the food industry to produce foods with histamine levels as low as possible. We therefore investigated critical steps for histamine formation during food production processes, and established production methods that include low-histamine technology.
The part that I found most interesting is that A. histaminiformans replaces lactobacillus in the cow’s rumen when the cow is fed a high grain and silage diet.A. histaminiformans produces three times the histamine that the lactobacillus can.If lactobacillus can produce enough histamine to cause a reaction,replacing the lactobacillus with a bacteria that produces three times as much histamine is sure to cause a reaction.
" Recent work indicates that the rumen has a previously unrecognized bacterium that produces histamine, A. histaminiformans. A. histaminiformans is a highly specialized bacterium that is only able to convert histidine to histamine. Because A. histaminiformans is a highly pH-resistant bacterium, it is better able to compete with other histidine-utilizing bacteria when the pH is low. A. histaminiformans could not be isolated from cattle fed hay, but it is found at high numbers in cattle fed dairy cattle rations. The ability of A. histaminiformans to grow in the rumen is promoted by acidic pH and a nutritional factor derived from silages (particularly alfalfa silage)"
The question is,how do we prevent A. histaminiformans from crowding out the lactobacillus in the cow’s rumen and then in our gut? The answer is to feed the cow the way it has eaten for thousands of years,grass and dried forage(hay).The reason that cows are fed the way they are in commercial dairies is all about profit,not about health.When our children have to suffer so that some people can make a profit at their expense,we need to make some changes.That is what motivates me to do what I do.
Keeping histamine levels as low as possible,must begin with the way the cow is fed.
"High histamine content in foods and beverages result from microbial contamination. "
" Microbial contamination" in this case is the substitution of A. histaminiformans for lactobacillus in the food.Improper feeding leads to an imbalance in the natural community of bacteria.We don’t speak of microbial contamination in relation to lactobacillus in milk,it is part of normal milk.When we change the way cows are fed, we change the bacteria that are in the milk.
"We therefore investigated critical steps for histamine formation during food production processes, and established production methods that include low-histamine technology"
If how the cows are fed is not the most "critical step "in the food production process,I wonder how they propose to solve this problem after it has been created.
In answer to your question, the labels on the NH raw milk had the standard warnings about the product being unpasteurized and a potential danger to elderly and immune-suppressed individuals. The brochure did not.
I am all for warning signs, as are many consumers of raw milk, but I’m afraid that isn’t the real issue for the regulatory agencies. I provided some thoughts on that in a posting late last year: http://www.thecompletepatient.com/journal/2008/11/30/raw-milk-warning-signs-are-a-great-idea-if-youre-worried-abo.html
David
However, when the government seeks to reduce access, restrict advertising & marketing, restrict sales, ban outright this food–our rights are indeed being curtailed.
In my state, I had to buy a cow share to exercise my rights. Most people are not in a position to make such a long term commitment. Not to mention the extra expense and risk I am taking on (delivery fees, vet bills, etc.)
I notice neither one of them said raw dairy farmers are free in this society, the bondage they are in is plain for all to see.
Kimberly
Hartkeisonline.com
a realfoodmedia.com blogger
From your last post you quote, The potential involvement of lactobacilli was consistent with the observation that lactobacilli are highly pH-resistant bacteria that accumulate in the rumen when animals are fed an abundance of cereal grain.
The observation that the growth factor can be derived from alfalfa silage could have practical significance. Logue et al. (2000) noted that dairy cattle fed grass silage had a significantly greater incidence of laminitis and foot lesions than cattle that were fed non-fermented dry forage.
Laminitis and foot lesions are certainly a problem associated with the feeding of
chopped grass silage. However is the problem equally consistent with the feeding of round bale silage since round bale silage is not chopped and still requires considerable if not an equal amount of chewing and saliva production which is a prerequisite for maintaining a normal rumen PH balance?
With the respect to the feeding of cereal grains is there a cut off point, since the article specifically states an abundance of cereal grain? I am of the opinion that cattle can tolerate a certain amount of grain without adversely affecting rumen PH and overall good health. In my herd even though I was feeding a small amount of dairy ration two elderly people were buying raw milk from me because of an apparent milk allergy which ceased to exist when they drank the raw milk.
Your reference to oxalobacter formigenes aroused my curiosity because of my reference a number of posts back to the organisms presence in the kidneys which was incorrect.
Oxalobacter formigenes is indeed a bacterium found in the gut that is able to degrade oxalate, it is a part of the normal gut flora and depends on oxalate, as it is its energy source. Oxalate can also be deposited in the heart, the walls of arteries and veins, blocking their normal function and can also accumulate in the bones and kidneys. Scientists are currently investigating the possibility of using oxalobacter formigenes as a probiotic treatment in an attempt to prevent kidney stones.
Ken Conrad
http://www.campaignforliberty.com/blog.php?view=12671
You are right .It is the low rumen PH that tips the balance from the bacteria that we want to those that cause problems.PH is greatly affected by the mineral content of the forage or grain.In the same way that milk quality is influenced by the quality of the cow’s feed,the quality of the grain or hay is affected by the mineral content and microbial community of the soil.As long as the PH in the rumen is ok,whatever you are feeding is ok.I believe you can judge the rumen PH by studying the consistency of the manure.I want to be able to see the separations in the cow pie and each little section should have a shiny coating on it.If it is too wet that means the rumen PH is too low.Cow pies vary so shoot for the average cow pie looking this way.
(13) FOOD ESTABLISHMENT-
(A) IN GENERAL- The term `food establishment’ means a slaughterhouse (except those regulated under the Federal Meat Inspection Act or the Poultry Products Inspection Act), factory, warehouse, or facility owned or operated by a person located in any State that processes food or a facility that holds, stores, or transports food or food ingredients.
(B) EXCLUSIONS- For the purposes of registration, the term `food establishment’ does not include a food production facility as defined in paragraph (14), restaurant, other retail food establishment, nonprofit food establishment in which food is prepared for or served directly to the consumer, or fishing vessel (other than a fishing vessel engaged in processing, as that term is defined in section 123.3 of title 21, Code of Federal Regulations).
(14) FOOD PRODUCTION FACILITY- The term `food production facility’ means any farm, ranch, orchard, vineyard, aquaculture facility, or confined animal-feeding operation.
_______________________
so a farm is "food production" and not required to register? (exempted from this law?) as is a cafo? (shoddy thinking to rank a "farm" or "orchard" with a cafo…)
am i reading this right? this bill is targeting only middlemen?
hugh – beware reading this bill will make your head hurt
(a) Authorities- In carrying out the duties of the Administrator and the purposes of this Act, the Administrator shall have the authority, with respect to food production facilities, to–
(1) visit and inspect food production facilities in the United States and in foreign countries to determine if they are operating in compliance with the requirements of the food safety law;
(2) review food safety records as required to be kept by the Administrator under section 210 and for other food safety purposes;
(3) set good practice standards to protect the public and animal health and promote food safety;
(4) conduct monitoring and surveillance of animals, plants, products, or the environment, as appropriate; and
(5) collect and maintain information relevant to public health and farm practices.
(b) Inspection of Records- A food production facility shall permit the Administrator upon presentation of appropriate credentials and at reasonable times and in a reasonable manner, to have access to and ability to copy all records maintained by or on behalf of such food production establishment in any format (including paper or electronic) and at any location, that are necessary to assist the Administrator–
(1) to determine whether the food is contaminated, adulterated, or otherwise not in compliance with the food safety law; or
(2) to track the food in commerce.
(c) Regulations- Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator, in consultation with the Secretary of Agriculture and representatives of State departments of agriculture, shall promulgate regulations to establish science-based minimum standards for the safe production of food by food production facilities. Such regulations shall–
(1) consider all relevant hazards, including those occurring naturally, and those that may be unintentionally or intentionally introduced;
(2) require each food production facility to have a written food safety plan that describes the likely hazards and preventive controls implemented to address those hazards;
(3) include, with respect to growing, harvesting, sorting, and storage operations, minimum standards related to fertilizer use, nutrients, hygiene, packaging, temperature controls, animal encroachment, and water;
(4) include, with respect to animals raised for food, minimum standards related to the animal’s health, feed, and environment which bear on the safety of food for human consumption;
(5) provide a reasonable period of time for compliance, taking into account the needs of small businesses for additional time to comply;
(6) provide for coordination of education and enforcement activities by State and local officials, as designated by the Governors of the respective States; and
(7) include a description of the variance process under subsection (d) and the types of permissible variances which the Administrator may grant under such process.
(d) Variances- States and foreign countries that export produce intended for consumption in the United States may request from the Administrator variances from the requirements of the regulations under subsection (c). A request shall–
(1) be in writing;
(2) describe the reasons the variance is necessary;
(3) describe the procedures, processes, and practices that will be followed under the variance to ensure produce is not adulterated; and
(4) contain any other information required by the Administrator.
(e) Approval or Disapproval of Variances- If the Administrator determines after review of a request under subsection (d) that the requested variance provides equivalent protections to those promulgated under subsection (c), the Administrator may approve the request. The Administrator shall deny a request if it is–
(1) not sufficiently detailed to permit a determination;
(2) fails to cite sufficient grounds for allowing a variance; or
(3) does not provide reasonable assurances that the produce will not be adulterated.
(f) Enforcement- The Administrator may coordinate with the agency or department designated by the Governor of each State to perform activities to ensure compliance with this section.
(g) Imported Produce- Not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall promulgate regulations to ensure that raw agricultural commodities and minimally processed produce imported into the United States can meet standards for food safety, inspection, labeling, and consumer protection that are at least equal to standards applicable to such commodities and produce produced in the United States.
Your theories are interesting, but like all of us scientists with great ideas, they must be tested. That requires money and application to grants: for example, "Role of Allisonella histaminiformans in human allergies and relationship to feed in lactating cows." Compete and get this grant, do the study. Otherwise, it remains another scientist’s theory.
David,
Thanks so much for responding – your blog is awesome. I appreciate your point of view about warining signs.
Hugh Betcha,
My Internet has gone out over and over while making this post.
"if your login times-out while you’re writing a post, said post will be lost. do logins have to expire? can i remain logged-in forever?
Forbid we lose communication via the Internet. I read your information, and don’t always agree with it, but glad we are connected. I worry that this government system we are under is going to fall apart, and the loss of Internet connectivity will be the first sign. Could be ironic, since what we are discussing is to some extent a return to the past (atavism).
We are not pretending to be scientists.We are concerned parents searching to understand what is making our children sick.We are doing the research,but don’t expect to see any results published in peer reviewed journals.Of course the regulators will be the last to "discover" what the rest of us have accepted as obvious for years,and then only because it is their children who are ill.
"monitoring and surveillance" HMMM Surveillance camers on the farm or in our backyards watching our tomato patch and dandelions grow? To far fetched? Maybe not we are filmed as we park our cars and filmed as walk into the malls and filmed as we shop and filmed as we make any transaction at the bank and yet no one knows where all the bailout money went.
"APPRORIATE" Who decides what that means, the food TSARS? Soylent green, it would seem we are getting closer.
Even more scary is either evolution has lost its way and the cows are not the fittest but the bad germs are the fittest and are taking over or the system is becoming Satanic.
Lykke I also have been having a lot of problems with the internet for about a year now and some friends are having problems as well. not sure what to make of it.
In honor of Monsanto’s "Food Safety" bills: "Poison on the Platter"
http://www.fourwinds10.com/siterun_data/science_technology/dna_gmo/news.php?q=1236570959
Since cows have eaten grass naturally for many thousands of years, it seems reasonable to me to feed them grass and not worry a bit about whether some scientist validates grass as their appropriate diet. It is, on the other hand, incumbent on anyone who theorizes about altering that age-old diet, to prove the safety of their plan.
I feed my cattle as naturally as possible because, thematically, it is most sensible. Natural feeding is therefore to me (again, thematically) the best way to ensure highest nutrition and optimal safety for the animal and for those who consume the animal’s products. I want my cows eating grass; I want them head down, eating off the ground; I want them to have to tear at their feed; I want them to eat quickly and then retreat to chew their cud. I want all that not because scientists have "discovered" that it is proper practice, but because the animals and their environment have taught me that it’s proper practice. I expect that one day somebody will figure out that, for example, ground feeding is beneficial, for some previously unsuspected reason.
I am very wary of all non-natural feeding methods, even if they have been "proven" safe and effective in scientific studies, because science has so many blind spots—misidentifying long-term effects is one very important and very dark blind spot.
I was recently reviewing a surprisingly long list of recalled drugs that had once passed corporate and FDA muster. This is not uncommon with scientifically substantiated data. You could put it this way: Thematically, it is no surprise that western, controlled-variable studies miss the forest for the trees.
The Ethicurean
Not Milk: The Ingredient Behind the Dairy Crisis
http://www.ethicurean.com/2009/03/10/mpcs/
Sure we are preached to consume; low fat, low salt, etc. And look at the many who consume what TPTB say to eat. They are in ill health. Why does it appear that society doesn’t see this?
I’ve yet to hear about the added chemicals and the results that long term use causes. Why is it that many who eat foods cooked in bacon grease and consume home made lard, don’t have CAD (Coronary artery disease)? Or have high BP? Or those who consume large amounts of home made sweets aren’t diabetics or obese? Good genes? Stronger immune system?
Is this being researched?
Would people listen if that story was in the main stream media?
I forwarded the info on the renal stones, very interesting. Thanx.
Sylvia IMHO No most people will not nor will the system heed the truth, but some will so we must continue for the sake of the few, at least thats what history seems to indicate. Truth is not a popular message and it does not come armed with guns badges or court orders.
Here is just one example of a rejected warning. In Oct 2007 the DOW reached an all time high of 14000, there were a few wise men at the time warning that the monetary system was a vast toxic waste dump and would collapse they were ridiculed and laughed at, who is laughing now?
Since I found out the truth about real food and the truth about the monetary system from others I feel a duty to pass that info on to others who may want to accept the truth and avoid unnecessary suffering. Freedom to choose is REAL freedom anything less is tyranny.
There is no going back and freedom of choise is the only way to gain a complete total victory for unfettered access to raw dairy.
http://eliteedgegym.com/