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Farmer pooh-poohs pasteurization |
Farmer pooh-poohs pasteurization
SAFE AS MILK?
Nov 30, 2006
Serena Willoughby, Staff Writer
(York Region) - Louis Pasteur is probably rolling over in his grave.
A Thornhill man says raw milk farmer Michael Schmidt is being persecuted for giving people the freedom to consume unpasteurized milk.
"He's not some stupid hick that hasn't heard about pasteurization. He's being crucified by those who are not ready to hear what he has to say," said Richard Chomko, a raw and organic food advocate.
Mr. Chomko believes Mr. Schmidt is performing a service by challenging the legislation that prevents the sale of unpasteurized milk.
Mr. Schmidt's Durham farm was raided last week and dozens of glass jars of unpasteurized milk were confiscated, along with milking machinery.
He brings his raw milk every Tuesday to the Toronto Waldorf School, on Bathurst Street in Thornhill, to sell it in the parking lot.
Although the sale of unpasteurized milk is illegal, he found a way to circumvent the law by offering customers shares in his herd of cows.
Because it is legal for farmers to consume raw milk from cows they own, by making his customers part-owners of his cows, he's been able to avoid a legal challenge, until now.
Since the raid last week, Mr. Schmidt has been on a hunger strike, vowing to consume only water and one glass of his raw milk a day until the issue is resolved.
Mr. Chomko, who has known Mr. Schmidt for 12 years and has purchased raw milk for his own children, said he was surprised legal action is being taken against Mr. Schmidt now.
"The authorities stopped pestering him 12 years ago because this is a public relations nightmare for the milk industry," he said.
Dairy farmers should want to avoid raising questions in people's minds about milk and what is in it, he explained, because it could damage the whole industry.
Advocates for raw milk include Vaughan-King-Aurora MPP Greg Sorbara and celebrity chef Jamie Kennedy, who held a news conference yesterday in support of Mr. Schmidt.
But raw milk may contain pathogens such as E. coli and salmonella, said Dr. Karim Kurji, acting medical officer of health for York Region.
The pasteurization process -- heating milk to at least 63 C for 30 minutes to kill off pathogens -- became a legal requirement in Ontario because people, especially infants, were dying.
There were three cases of E.coli in the Lake Simcoe region and one in Toronto in the past year that were all connected to raw milk, Dr. Kurji said.
In addition, those who consume raw milk can become carriers of deadly diseases even though they themselves may not be infected.
While proponents of raw milk claim it offers a higher nutritional content, Dr. Kurji said the difference is negligible, though admitted the pasteurization process reduces vitamins B, B12 and C slightly.
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