FDA milk ban has consumers sour

By William R. Toler

Recent statements by the Food and Drug Administration have natural food advocates crying out over raw milk.

In a dismissal brief to a lawsuit brought against the FDA by the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund, the agency asserts that people “do not have a fundamental right to obtain any food they wish.”

The suit was brought against the federal agency for its interstate ban on raw milk sales.

There has been a rise in individuals and families preferring to solicit their groceries from local farms and farmers markets instead of the processed foods being peddled by the corporate chains.

Unpasteurized milk, farm-fresh eggs and vegetables straight from the garden are believed to be much healthier and taste better than their mass-produced and sometimes genetically-modified counterparts.

FDA “experts” and those who drink the government’s Kool-Aid claim that the natural foods which haven’t been processed for your protection will harm you.

I’ve lived on a farm most of my life, as have several generations before me. I would tend to agree with the plaintiffs on more than one count.

From a libertarian standpoint, folks should be able to make their own decisions on what kind of foods they want to consume. While I support the idea of natural foods, I have to admit I consume more than my fair share of processed crap.

I grew up drinking raw milk. Sure, it may still have a little cream in it, but it’s never made me sick. Neither have the eggs, apples, pears, string beans, squash, okra, etc. that we’ve grown. My dad prefers home-grown foods, as does a city-slicker family friend who says “the shit at the grocery stores makes me sick!”

In its dismissal, the FDA says there is “no ‘deeply rooted’ historical tradition of unfettered access to foods of all kinds.”

In small communities, such as my hometown, some residents have—and still do—go to local farmers for eggs, milk and other foods. To paraphrase my grandfather, who still milks his cows by hand, this milk is pasteurized…the cow’s been out in the pasture all day.

With the surge in natural foods, people have contracted with local farmers to pay a percentage of the upkeep of livestock in exchange for the product. Similarly, buying clubs have become popular.

But, Big Brother says that’s a no-no. In fact, the FDA states that there is no fundamental right for individuals to enter into private contract with one another.

Really?

It’s not just the politicians running wild, but these non-elected bureaucrats of the government’s alphabet soup are setting policies with nearly no oversight.