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The Raw Milk Revolution: Behind America's Emerging Battle Over Food Rights

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As one of the lawyers advocating for the right to choose what to eat (isn't that a strange thing to have to say?), I appreciate Gumpert's thoroughgoing synthesis of the events of the last several years for what they were: a preview of the upcoming challenges to this fundamental right.

A pension lawyer, I have come to appreciate over the years that security in retirement is not just about monthly checks or 401(k)'s. The most important planning and investment anyone can make for happiness in later years is for good health. My own path to choosing raw milk was driven initially by health concerns. I now see the ongoing struggle in this tiny corner of America's food system as a canary in the coal mine. If we lose these battles for choice in nutrition, there is no telling where it will end.

David's book informs, in highly readable fashion, linkages and background much of which (because of my involvement), I knew. But there is much in his research and writing that I did not know until now, and his compelling telling of the story is thus a real service to the public and to all participants, both advocates, regulators, legislators, and others.

We desperately need more sensible dialogue, and it is my hope that this book will bring the pro's and con's closer together, simply by everyone being better informed. At the same time it illuminates a fundamental struggle for freedom (with responsibility) in the 21st century, for the benefit of a larger public who through this book can come to understand the complexities, as well as to appreciate the challenges of finding the "health" in "healthcare." For without improvements in health, healthcare will consume the country, and there will indeed be a harsher retirement for us all.

This book grew out of a reporter's blog, "The Complete Patient." Because of the way the topic was born, and the somewhat objective approach the writer took, I believe that a transformation is taking place of the way many people view the issue of raw milk freedom. Many view raw milk economic (non)freedom as a moot issue. Someone - David Gumpert - became curious about why. And more curious. He was just writing about his health. I stumbled upon his blog a few years ago, just as he was becoming curious. One of our local pastured meat producers was rumored to be trying to jump through hoops regulators kept throwing at him. My childhood was riddled with underground raw milk seeking by my parents. People I grew up around looked at the food I ate as if it were some sort of poison while they consumed bologna on white bread, and Little Debbie snack cakes. So I was curious too, where his investigations might take him. I bookmarked his blog, and kept going back. When someone's farm was raided, he knew the same day, and told about it. His blog became a fascinating modern portrayal of what was really happening that nobody heard about. I work in the healthcare industry. In my 13 years as a registered nurse, the number of people I have to gown and glove for isolation for has grown exponentially. I have been acutely interested in the way superbugs develop. I've become over-aware (to put it mildly) of the knee-jerk reaction regulations health care and national food safety people come up with - regulations that make my actual direct care job, and our small private farm at home, increasingly impossible to do. On David's blog, I've been able to read a national hero food safety lawyer have at it with the biggest raw milk dairy manager in the U.S., along with the input of other small farmers, and people who feel their family members were poisoned by raw milk. Now David has put the culmination of a few years of such discussion into a whole, concise form. It is difficult to put down. I believe it is a classical production that like Michael Pollan's, "The Omnivore's Dilemma," boosts us over a barrier of consciousness that developed world humans have been attempting to breech for some time.

Gwen Elderberry

There is a revolution going on. At first it was a quiet revolution. The initial skirmishes were fought on the fringes of society. Over the past few years, the revolution has become more vocal, more powerful. It has moved from the fringes to the very center of our culture. People are becoming more conscious of the food they eat. And not just what kinds of food. They also want to know where it came from and how it was produced.

The food issue has become so central that the government, normally oblivious to anything that happens outside of the Beltway, has become aware of and is even co-opting the terms and principles of the movement. Manufacturers are legally required to list the ingredients and nutritional values of the food they sell. The term "organic" is no longer a folksy assurance of goodness. It has been quantified and codified. No one may use the term who has not met the stringent standards set by the government.

Still on the fringes but becoming more common with each passing year are those who not only reject the products resulting from the factory farming model, such as enormous feedlots that are so unsanitary that the cows must be fed a steady diet of antibiotics to keep them healthy enough to produce milk or meat (antibiotics that may actually be contributing to rise of "super bugs", antibiotic resistant bacteria), these consumers are also rejecting the preparation methods mandated by law: the pasteurization and homogenization of milk.

Aficionados refer to it as raw milk. Raw milk producers and drinkers are not the wild-eyed fanatics or zany non-conformists. They live all over the country including the Midwest and New England, areas not known for radicalism. They are people who value milk for its nutrition. Nutrition that is destroyed by the processes of pasteurization and homogenization.

Louis Pasteur, credited with the discovery of pasteurization and long seen as a hero, lived during the era of the rise of feedlots, the factory farming of cows. Those lots were, and still are, breeding grounds for diseases of both animals and humans. Pasteurization is necessary to make milk safe to drink. Prior to the Industrial Revolution which brought first workers and then feedlots into the cities, cows were raised exclusively on farms, grazing in pastures during the summer and eating hay in the winter. The resulting milk was safe to drink. Disease was not a large concern.

The raw milk revolution is an attempt to reach back to our roots. Raw milk dairies raise and nurture their cows the old-fashioned way. They observe strict sanitary methods. They are subject to and welcome constant inspections. The consumers who buy their milk and milk products claim that this "natural" product is more healthful than the pasteurized, homogenized, antibiotic filled product found at the local grocer. These health claims are explored in depth in the book.

I have to confess that when I first picked up this book, my "fanatic alarms" were going off. But once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down. I devoured it in two sittings. The author, David Gumpert, is a journalist who uses his training to give as well-rounded a treatment of the subject of raw milk as possible.

The author admits up front that he is a raw milk drinker. He tries to present as many points of view in the debate as fairly as possible. He interviewed dairy farmers who sell raw milk and raw milk products, consumers who buy raw milk, the parents of children who became ill drinking raw milk and the government agencies, both local and federal, who are doing their best to stop the sale of raw milk. It's that last group that is not well represented but not through lack of trying on Mr. Gumpert's part. He was constantly stonewalled by the very bureaucrats to whom he was trying to give a voice.

This is a well-written, eye-opening book. Anyone who is interested in healthy eating should definitely pick a copy. Before I read this book, you couldn't have paid me to drink raw milk. Now that I am better informed, I am admittedly curious. I'll be keeping an eye out at farmer's markets for raw milk.

Before I read this book, I didn't realize raw milk rights were such a huge battle. I know raw milk is illegal in Alaska, so at the advice of my pediatrician I joined a goat share program. I found the farm through my chiropractor, who also recommends raw goat milk. My 3 year old son has never had pasteurized milk...he only drinks raw milk. I drank it while pregnant with my 5 month old daughter with the blessings of my midwife. Because my health care professionals recommended it, I didn't realize there was such a controversy.

Apparently there is a huge battle brewing over food rights, and David Gumpert discusses those in this book. It's quite frightening that our rights are slowly being eroded. You can no longer purchase unpasteurized California almonds (I had to search high & low to find someone who would sell me some), and stores can no longer sell unpasteurized fruit & vegetable juice.

This book will make you angry as you see how the FDA has treated dairy farmers like drug dealers. Unfortunately, the author is all over the place with his case studies. He'll talk about a case in California, then skip to one in New York, then Ohio. At the beginning of chapter 10 he'll talk again about the case he referenced in chapter 4, then in chapter 12 he discusses an incident he mentioned in chapter 1. This happens numerous times throughout the book. Because of this, the book seems very disjointed.

The book has a lot of legal cases, which is only mildly interesting. I think a synopsis of the cases would be fine, but he often goes in depth with multi-page legal cases. Also, a good portion of this book is just quotes from his blog, which gets a little annoying. He'll talk about a case, then say "here's what I posted about ____ on ____," and have 2-3 pages of blog quotes.

I really wish that David Gumpert had gone a little more into the "why." The book doesn't talk about why the FDA is cracking down on raw milk. He briefly mentions that Sheehan (the head of food safety with the FDA) was a patent lawyer for the dairy industry before he joined the FDA in 2000. What he doesn't do is make the connection that a patent lawyer for dairy was most likely working for Monsanto, who has lobbied against raw milk since raw dairy farmers don't use Monsanto's rBGH. There was major lobbying in Alaska by large outside dairy to keep the small local farms from getting any market share.

I also wish that Gumpert had given us some sort of call to action. This is obviously a problem, what do we need to do to fix it?

The bottom line is that this is an interesting topic, but the writing was too disjointed and too focused on specific legal cases instead of the broader topic.

For me, being able to buy raw organic milk is a freedom issue with me! Not only because I grew up on raw milk, but because my family, going back centuries have always drunk raw milk. Tried store bought 'modern' milk when our son was young but he didn't tolerate it well. So we returned to raw milk and never have problems again. Do I think everyone should be forced to drink raw milk, like most states force people to only drink store bought 'modern' milk? Of course not! And while the author is indeed a raw milk drinker I am very impressed with how fair this book is.

Areas of the book I loved were the areas that deal with the centuries of raw milk and that homogenized pasteurized milk has only been around since post WW2, and that its all about big business and big business wanting to control what people eat and drink. Page 132 'September 2006 there were about 200 cases of illness attributed to bagged spinach, and six attributed to raw milk'. Yet we didn't see state government banning raw vegetables. Why the hypocrisy?

I don't even know where to begin with this book. So much is covered & I will never remember ever important detail. It doesn't matter if you are "for" or "against" raw milk, you should read this book. If you are American you should be for freedom of choice. To me that is what this book boils down to. America the land of the free, where our government tells us what we can and cannot eat.
We are not allowed to drink raw milk in almost all states. States that allow it are very strict & hard on the sellers of raw milk. Can you get sick from raw milk? Yes, of course you can. Can you get sick when you go to the grocery store? Yes, of course you can. Can raw milk kill you? Why yes it can. The odds of it killing you? NILL. Can you die from food purchased at the grocery store? Sure you can. The odds...well they are MUCH higher. Now here is a little wake up call for those of you in fear of raw milk - pasturized milk can make you sick too.
My point is that anything can make us sick & death can happen from just about anything as well! We should be allowed to choose our "poison" The government is not our parents. We should not want them to be! We foolish Americans are slowly allowing our freedoms to be taken away. Those of you who disagree with me can now become very offended when I tell you you are not a person but one of many sheepeople. Go ahead prove me wrong & read this book - I dare you!
For those of you who are free thinkers you will probably find this book as alarming as I did. As the title says ..."America's emerging battle over food rights" it's the People Vs the Government. A government that is supposed to serve the people. Now there's a joke!
Now it's milk that must be pasteurized. Imagine how you would feel if you could no longer buy raw meat or veggies to cook (or not) how you see fit? You can only buy cooked meat & veggies. It is illegal to buy raw & those who sell raw are criminals. Treated like drug dealers. Think I'm being silly? Read the book & see if you still feel that way.

I really didn't know very much about the topic when I first started reading this book. I try to be generally educated about where food comes from and how it's processed because of all the implications of how those things affect my life, but raw milk had just never occurred to me as a topic to explore. I actually don't think it had ever occurred to me that there was enough to say about raw milk that someone could usefully write a book on the topic. When I was offered a copy of this book to review, I decided that it was worth the time to have a look and find out if I was wrong about that, and I can comfortably say that I was.

While the book is very readable, it's also heavily researched and cites very specific incidents and reports rather than falling back on vague claims that no one could prove or disprove. The author is definitely on the side of raw milk being legal and available, but I never felt that he became uncomfortably preachy about it. In fact, at times he took care to point out that many people tend to drift to the extremes of "it's poison" or "it will cure anything that could possibly be wrong with you" and that neither of those attitudes is very realistic or helpful.

I feel that this is the type of book that we all have a responsibility to read. The quality of much of the food supply in the United States is dismal, and even the people who are willing and able to acquire high quality and nutritious food are affected indirectly by the burden that bad food places on our health system, and the illnesses that are being created as a side effect of it. Whether you actually end up agreeing with the author or not, if you live in the United States the consequences of the food policies the government sets will have an impact on your life and it'd be wise to at least try to understand what's happening.

for me, this book was preaching to the choir since we are a raw milk drinking, organic produce eating, CSA subscribing, gardening, grassfed beef loving and backyard chicken raising family already. but it is an important book that everyone should read in order to become aware of what is going on politically that may affect our food supply. the reason we are a "raw milk drinking, organic produce eating, CSA subscribing, gardening, grassfed beef loving and backyard chicken raising family" is because we cannot trust the foods available at conventional supermarkets and grocery stores to adequately feed our children. we don't want to give them hormone and antibiotic laden food, we don't want to eat pesticides and chemicals, and we also do not want to support inhumane treatment of animals raised in confinement and fed cheap feed to make them quickly. we have had to go out of our way to secure alternative sources of food for ourselves by buying farm direct, gardening and raising our own egg chickens, and ordering food online from alternative distributors. it is not always easy or convenient, and it is sad that this is the state of affairs in our country. everyone should have access to safe and healthy food. this book helps you understand what is going on with food rights and what you can do to help. a must read if you care about the future of your family's food and health.

This book deals with our most basic health right: the right to choose the foods that we feel and know our healthiest for us.

I love a good, documented, research-based book that shows the truth, and the truth is often (usually) the opposite of what we have been brainwashed to believe by the media, government and corporations. David Gumpert takes us on a journey of truth as an unbiased reporter. He shows both sides: the parents who lost their children (or their children lost use of their kidneys) allegedly due to contaminated raw milk. But we are also shown that raw milk was never conclusively shown to be the culprit. (However, it probably was in at least a few cases--in which case I would say don't feed kids raw milk unless their immunity is very strong from a nearly 100% raw organic diet. Kids' immune systems are not as strong as those of adults.) We are also shown the side of the raw milk advocates, and testimonials of people finally being able to drink milk without digestive issues. People's immune systems also improve from the friendly probiotics, the good bacteria found in raw dairy. In some cases, raw milk took away people's heartburn, asthma and allergies.

This book is filled with shocking info, such as the fact that sushi is 30 times more likely to make a person sick than raw milk, and even deli meat is 10 times more likely to be a contaminated food. The statistics on raw dairy making people sick show that it is not a big issue--in fact pasteurized milk is about as likely to make someone sick! So why is the government only going after the raw dairies, and not the producers of bologna? We are led to the inevitable conclusion that it is corporate profits. Pasteurizing dairy extends the shelf life by many weeks, thus enabling them to make more money in a day and age in which food is transported and kept on grocery shelves so much.

As for the issue of raw milk being a viable option, the bottom line is sanitary conditions: raw milk from factory farms in which cows are living in poor conditions is probably going to be much worse than where the cows are pasture fed. Another point made is that the milk doesn't get infected from inside the cow--rather, something with bacteria touches the milk that has been taken out of the cow!

This book covers just about everything, including the history of why milk became pasteurized in the first place. In the 1800s some of the earliest factory farming took place as cows were fed leftover fermented grains from the production of vodka and whiskey. The cows became diseased, and lived in an unsanitary environment, so quite naturally milk became a breeding ground for tuberculosis and other bacteria. The book covers the debate between Pasteur (whose theory led to a war on germs) and Bechamp (who believed the immunity or internal environment was what we need to focus on for health). It covers the battle in California to keep raw dairy legal, the health benefits of raw milk, and the importance of getting it from a good source.

By the way, don't buy queso fresco (unless from a good source). The author explains that this is raw Mexican cheese in which the milk to make it is typically purchased from factory farms under the table, and made in unsanitary conditions (hence called "bathtub cheese"). This is one of the culprits in the raw dairy problems--showing that it is the unsanitary conditions that are at fault, and not the raw milk itself.

I appreciate being able to consume about 5% of my calories from raw dairy, such as raw kiefer. It has boosted my immune system with friendly bacteria. We need to keep raw food legal. The battle to keep raw dairy available is just a foreshadowing of Codex Alimentarius (which is supposed to happen Dec 31, 2009!) in which ALL food will be irradiated, and no raw food available unless you forage for it in the wild or have the tiniest of gardens (anything of substance will need a permit). At some point we have to take responsibility for our health and just say no to the government. Freedom is very important, especially if you want to be healthy!

There's a battle going on in America right now and it's gotten really ugly very quickly. No, I'm not talking about the state of politics, the debate over religion, or any of the other usual suspects. This fight is about the rights of Americans to have access to real food. And we're not talking about that stuff sold in grocery stores under the guise of "food" either. It's real, whole, unadulterated foods that are grown and harvested on local farms that provide far superior nutrition and nourishment to the mass-produced versions sold in supermarkets from coast to coast. The problem is one of access and the culprit standing in the way most of the time are the government bureaucrats who seek to destroy the very fabric of what once made this nation so great. The crux of this issue centers around the sale of raw milk which is currently illegal to purchase in stores in 40 states. One of the leading voices in support of local farmers attempting to provide healthy raw milk products to the consumer is journalist David E. Gumpert and he chronicles the travesty happening with this issue in his book The Raw Milk Revolution: Behind America's Emerging Battle Over Food Rights.

I'm fortunate enough to live in one of the states where raw milk is legal (South Carolina) and can drive down to a local store about a mile from my house or the family farm about 10 miles away to purchase it without fear of breaking the law. Although I don't drink a lot of milk because of the natural sugars that are in it, I do enjoy a glass of raw milk from time to time as well as consuming raw cheeses as part of my healthy low-carb lifestyle. It's a privilege that can be taken for granted by people who have access to these foods because not everyone is so fortunate to live in an area where raw dairy is allowed to be legally sold to them.

Gumpert himself became especially curious about health when he experienced firsthand the failure of the healthcare system after he was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2001. That was what helped light a fire in him to become more and more acutely aware of how health is managed in America and what he soon discovered was frightening in a country purporting to promote freedom and choice. And being a researcher and writer by trade, Gumpert began chronicling the raw milk crackdowns in 2006 on his blog which inspired the creation of this book. Interestingly, while the government has taken an interest in bringing an end to small dairy farmers producing and distributing unpasteurized milk to consumers who wish to purchase it for themselves and their families under the auspices of protecting them from potentially harmful pathogens, they have all but ignored the health benefits that come from consuming raw milk. It's this oxymoronic irony that fills the pages of The Raw Milk Revolution.

Gumpert beautifully paints a picture about how raw milk has become this radioactive issue that goes much deeper than the mere 1-3 percent of the milk market sales that raw milk currently comprises. He says it's really all about how food is made and distributed in America, the fear of food borne illnesses arising from poor farming practices, and greater government control over what people put in their mouths. You'll get plenty of personal stories from the author as well as those who have shared their experiences on his blog sprinkled throughout the book. As you turn the pages of this very informative and entertaining narrative weaved together by Gumpert, you'll literally sense and feel the outrage over something like this happening in the United States of America!

This raw milk debate truly is a war between various factions which Gumpert reveals very clearly in his book. It's the traditional, small farmers vs. the mass-produced factory farms. It's naturopathic medicine vs. the pop-a-pill-for-every-ailment modern medicine. It's the right to buy the foods you want vs. the busybody nanny-state government flexing their muscles masquerading behind the concept of protecting the consumer. This is what it all boils down to and the issue is not going away anytime soon because there is a lot of misinformation that has been put out there about the safety of consuming raw milk much in the same way that the low-carb diet has been so maligned by the media and special interest groups that stand to benefit from it being discredited. This is why educational efforts by people like Gumpert are so vital to arming the consumer with quality information so they can make prudent decisions based on the facts rather than the propagandist conjecture that can linger out there unchallenged.

One thing you'll see over and over again as you read The Raw Milk Revolution is the bureaucratic breakdown that happens whenever the government gets involved and the hardened criminal treatment that raw milk farmers are subjected to when they try to fulfill the demands of their customers. Horrific stories of being run off the road by state troopers, waking up unsuspecting farm owners in the middle of the night to rummage through their personal belongings, pouring out fresh raw milk on the side of the road, and leaving lots of angry raw milk customers empty-handed tell the real story of this revolution that has only just begun. Gumpert has done his part to follow-up with the key players in this battle, including farmers who have been raided as well as the government minions who claim to be following orders from those in positions of power over them.

There's a missing group of people in this story that can sometimes be forgotten in all the contentious shouting matches from both sides. It's the consumer who is able to access raw milk products and the stunning health they are able to attain because of it. Despite all the bellyaching from government bureaucrats over the "dangers" of consuming this real food, the reality is people are benefitting from it in amazing ways. Even "lactose intolerant" people are able to enjoy milk again when it is raw. Brain health is improved, skin and hair become softer, chronic pain and health issues improve, and so much more. Yes, it's anecdotal, but it is important to note in light of all the hysteria about how harmful raw milk is supposed to be. Clearly, it's not hurting everyone...if anyone.

Of course, the influence of Sally Fallon Morell from The Weston A. Price Foundation and her Real Milk campaign is a major part of The Raw Milk Revolution. Gumpert is a regular speaker at the WAPF meetings that take place annually and his fascinating stories bring this raw milk issue to life for people who are completely unaware of something like this happening in America. Awareness and education are powerful tools in convincing the public to rise up against the "Gestapo-styled" tactics being implored to deny them access to raw milk if they so desire to consume it with whatever alleged risks that might be attached. There are worse risks to smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol, and even consuming sugar than there will ever be to ingesting raw milk. It's just that simple.

So, what can be done to show support for the right to access raw milk short of an all-out mutiny against the government? Gumpert offers a few ideas that might just work: create an organized consumer coalition to promote raw milk and combat bullying tactics by the government, encourage more impartial reporting of raw milk raids which tend to skew the coverage on the side of regulators, increase consumer demand for raw dairy so that farmers will take the risk of fulfilling the orders, go underground with a "black market" raw milk business (we're not talking about marijuana here, but MILK!), and most importantly of all in my opinion, the continued rise in chronic diseases that could be prevented through the consumption of quality foods like raw milk. Gumpert is cautiously optimistic about the future of raw milk, but doesn't see this issue going away anytime soon.

If you want to know all the ins and outs of the raw milk debate, then you owe it to yourself to get a copy of The Raw Milk Revolution by David Gumpert!