# Legislation: Legalize Raw Milk Sales Federally



## Stacykins (Oct 16, 2011)

*Petition to:
Legalize Raw Milk Sales on a Federal Level

Give the people the freedom to choose whether drinking raw milk products is right for them by enabling the legalized sale and distribution of raw milk products across all states.

There are substantial health benefits from raw milk that are not available in pasteurized milk products.

Many of the nutritional, anti-microbial and immune-enhancing components of raw milk are greatly reduced in effectiveness by pasteurization, and completely destroyed by ultra-pasteurization.

The risks associated with drinking raw milk are greatly exaggerated. Compared to raw milk there are 515 times more illnesses from L-mono due to deli meats and 29 times more illness from L-mono due to pasteurized milk.

The Westin A. Price Foundation has more information at:

http://www.realmilk.com/rawmilkoverview.html*

I initially posted this in the wrong format. But here it is in the correct format. Since I know a lot of people have dairy animals, raw milk issues are a big deal. This is a petition that will hopefully be a foot in the door for legal sales of raw milk in the U.S. 

Link to petition itself.  The above is copied and pasted from the petition.    https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions#!/petition/legalize-raw-milk-sales-federal-level/hbbTdMGM


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## elevan (Oct 16, 2011)

It's just plain common sense imo to allow the people to make a choice for themselves.  Hard to make a choice when your hands are tied and your led to only one choice.


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## Stacykins (Oct 22, 2011)

Looks like the 5k signatures were reached just in the nick of time. I do hope that since it is a petition with a government website, it at least gets considered and hopefully comes to pass!


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## Ms. Research (Oct 23, 2011)

Congratulations on the successful petition submission.  Hope gets reviewed and actual discussion occurs.


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## Stacykins (Jan 5, 2012)

Despite getting more than enough signatures, this is the response we get, just got emailed out to those who signed the petition. 




Food Safety and Raw Milk

By Doug McKalip, Senior Policy Advisor for Rural Affairs in the White House Domestic Policy Council

Thank you for signing a petition about legalizing raw milk and for participating in the We the People platform on WhiteHouse.gov. We appreciate consumer concerns on food issues and understand the importance of letting consumers make their own food choices.

This Administration believes that food safety policy should be based on science. In this case, we support pasteurization to protect the safety of the milk supply because the health risks associated with raw milk are well documented.

Pasteurization of milk was adopted decades ago as a basic public health measure to kill dangerous bacteria and largely eliminate the risk of getting sick from one of the most important staples of the American diet. In 1987, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a regulation prohibiting the interstate sale of raw milk to reduce the number of illnesses and outbreaks associated with its consumption.

In recent years, some Americans have rejected pasteurization in favor of raw (or unpasteurized) milk, citing a range of taste, nutritional, and health benefits they believe are associated with raw milk consumption, as well as a general preference for unprocessed food.

As a science-based regulatory agency, the FDA looks to the scientific literature for information on benefits and risks associated with raw milk. While the nutritional and health benefits of raw milk consumption have not been scientifically substantiated, the health risks are clear. Since 1987, there have been 143 reported outbreaks of illness  some involving miscarriages, still births, kidney failure and deaths  associated with consumption of raw milk and raw milk products that were contaminated with pathogenic bacteria such as Listeria, Campylobacter, Salmonella, and E. coli. The FDA's position on raw milk is in concert with the Center for Disease Control and the American Academy of Pediatricians.

The FDA does not regulate intrastate raw milk sales, or selling raw milk within a state, which is left up to the individual states. Today, 20 states explicitly prohibit the intrastate sale of raw milk in some form and 30 allow it. FDA bans interstate raw milk sales, or selling raw milk across state lines. The FDA has never taken, nor does it intend to take, enforcement action against an individual who purchases and transports raw milk across state lines solely for his or her own personal consumption.

Thank you for participating in this important process. We appreciate your opinions and look forward to hearing from you again soon.


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