SEATTLE Unpasteurized milk is a curious thing. It costs up to $13 a gallon. It
says right on the carton: “WARNING: This product … may contain harmful
bacteria.” Yet people are passionate about it. Almost evangelistic.
So in early December, when the state announced that raw milk from Dungeness
Valley Creamery in Sequim was linked with three E. coli cases, the reaction was,
well … emotional.
“Lies,” more than one raw-milk drinker posted on the Dungeness dairy’s Web site,
in response to the state’s announcement. “Trickery,” another supporter wrote.
“Despicable,” wrote a third.
Never mind that health authorities like the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
and the Mayo Clinic say you shouldn’t drink the stuff. To some, the bad news is
evidence of a conspiracy. It involves Big Ag trying to stamp out the little guy,
Big Government pushing its way into our kitchens, sleazy lawyers trying to make
a buck, and scientists who malign a key to good health.
Now, Whole Foods Markets has become a target. The company recently halted
raw-milk sales nationwide, saying it needed a “rigorous companywide standard.”
It was another sign, one pro-raw-milk blogger wrote, of the “ever more sinister
campaign against food rights.” There are calls for a boycott of the company.
Photo Caption: Jeff Brown’s daughter Sarah McCarthey bottles raw milk at
Dungeness Valley Creamery.
Photo Credit: STEVE RINGMAN / THE SEATTLE TIMES
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