Raw milk cheese consumers see themselves as
supporters of a different kind of agriculture and production
ethic. In purchasing small farms and raw milk, they are
offering support to the kind of food system that can cultivate these
healthy
animals and nutritious products. Small farms are able to manage
their animals, environments, and ecosystems more safely and vigilantly,
and in the process, can create products that are healthier and more
ethically produced.
Sharply contrasting with the FDA’s perspective
that raw milk cheese is too risky to be consumed, proponents of raw
milk cheese, such as the American Cheese Society, see the product as a
source of “good” microorganisms that actually improve the health of the
consumer by adding healthy microorganisms and immunity to the
consumer’s digestive system. Supporters of unpasteurized milk
believe firmly in its health benefits: the healthy bacteria are
actually thought to protect against the growth of undesirable
organisms, thus protecting the milk from contamination when being
processed for cheese. Raw milk supporters also believe in the
higher nutrient value found before the heating process, including
important minerals, enzymes and antibodies that are completely
destroyed in pasteurization (Lipinski, 2003).
Raw milk cheese consumers see it as a
traditional food, reflecting generations of cheesemakers from around
the world. They see the cheese as offering support to local
economies, providing a tangible and rooted connection to the land,
creating place-based nutrition and cultural expression, and improving
biodiversity by promoting healthy, pasture-fed animals in a balanced
ecosystem. Indigenous microflora, biodiversity, and local flavors
rooted in the unique characteristics of the land are highly important
to raw milk cheese producers. As Heather Paxon writes,
“microbiopolitically, raw-milk cheese might be forwarded as
biotechnology (derived from the scientific use of living organisms or
parts of organisms) for regionalism or…for localism, the expression of
a peoples connection to a piece of land” (Paxon, p. 26, 2008).
In 2001, the Food and Drug Administration
considered passing more stringent restrictions on raw milk cheese,
concerned that the aging process was insufficient. Raw milk
proponents rallied together, calling the FDA’s action “an attack on one
of society's greatest, most traditional foods—a cultural icon… like
slashing an ancient painting by a master, or shredding the original
score of a classic symphony” (American Society for Microbiology,
2001). Proponents of raw milk cheese see it as much more than a
foodsource, but more of a “quiet revolution against standardization of
everything” (American Society for Microbiology, 2001).
What are the risks and doubts?
Regulators claim that raw milk cheese has a
higher risk for food outbreaks of Listeria, Salmonella, E. coli O157:H7
and other pathogens than pasteurized milk. Yet, The Center for Science
in the Public Interest (CSPI) “reported just 11 [outbreaks] from raw
milk and 8 from cheeses made with raw milk during the 11-year period
from 1990 to 2001. (Nestle, 2003).
It must be taken into account that regular,
pasteurized milk and cheese have their own associated outbreaks and
health issues—about the same number as raw milk and cheese—although the
actual amount of raw milk products in the market are significantly
fewer.
These numbers are produced from a
rational, quantitative and scientific process of analysis of the
occurrence of food poisoning issues. Much of The Food and Drug
Administration’s framework is rooted in a pasteurian culture focusing
on getting rid of bacteria completely to eliminate risk. Instead,
these issues may be examined from different viewpoints.
There are many doubts associated with the FDA
analysis and perceptions. If the consumers who had eaten raw milk
products had not been raised on pasteurized or ultra-pasteurized milk,
perhaps they would have not reacted to the raw milk because they would
have had plenty of healthy bacteria to defend themselves. Had
their immune systems would not been adapted to being
bacteria-free, perhaps instead they would have been stronger from the raw milk
microflora in order to combat these toxins. Microflora are the
healthy bacteria found in raw milk. Because pasteurization kills
virtually all healthy bacteria, the stomach is not accustomed to
consuming bacteria in milk, so it is better to drink smaller amounts
initially.
Studies have shown that consuming raw
milk can raise specific levels of good bacteria that may work to fight
against food poisoning. Compounds such as lactoferrin, lysozyme,
and lactoperoxidase are inhibitory to certain pathogens, serving as
protection against bad bacteria, both in the stomach and in the
cheesemaking process. However these compounds get destroyed in
the
pasteurization process, eliminating the natural protective bacteria
found in milk. Researchers are further investigating
specific compounds within milk to fully understand these
impacts on one’s immunity against sicknesses and food
poisoning. Click here for a more in-depth discussion of the contoversy amid researchers about nutritional degredation in pasteurization.
Re-framing the Issue
Proponents of raw milk cheese claim that the focus of the
criticism has fallen on the wrong area, targeting farmers whose
processes are very safe. While contamination of any cheese is entirely
possible, studies show that contamination happens after processing, as
a form of recontamination: it is the fault of the aging process, not
the milk itself. Contamination stems “either from the aging
environment, or introduction by humans of pathogens on their hands
after the cheese is made…Where that becomes significant is irrelevant
whether the cheese has been made with raw or pasteurized milk.”
(MicrobeWorld, 2009) The FDA’s warnings for pregnant, very young and
old persons also caution against all soft cheeses, even those that have
been pasteurized because these risks of recontamination are higher.
Raw milk cheeses, however, take on a different kind of meaning and are
feared disproportionately despite the existence of these warnings.
Check out the link on the right-hand side to
learn more about cheeemaking and microbes. A 2001 study of
illnesses found by cheeses made from raw milk published: "it is clear
that in the majority of instances factors other than the use of raw
milk contributed to pathogens being present in cheese (Donnelly, 2001
as cited in Kindstedt, 2005).
Cheese-making requires a culture to be
added to milk. There are
many different kinds of cultures that are involved in the process, and
each cheese has a unique composition of salt, nutrients, acidity, and
differing moisture content. These differing characteristics
between
cheeses mean that they have dramatically differing likelihoods of
contamination of different pathogens. “Those inherent characteristics
of cheese dictate a very low risk microbiologically, or a very high
risk, depending on how cheeses are manufactured” (MicrobeWorld,
2009).
Raw milk cheese producers agree with the importance of risk assessment
and protection of consumers, but believe that cheeses are capable of
being regulated by means of careful inspection and should not be banned
outright. Legislation must target specific areas of the process,
as
explained by the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point guides
(HACCP). Other alternatives exist, such as thermization. In
this process, milk is treated at a much lower temperature for only 2 to
15 seconds, offering more safety than no pasteurization at all. In
these ways, safety legislation can examine different types
of cheeses in different forms, rather than utilizing a
one-size-fits-all approach and completely prohibiting specific areas of
the
market.
A plea from a small dairy
in Arizona, which, like many small farms, advocates for raw milk rather than pasteurization.
Click photo for a link to saveyourdairy.com
Raw
milk cheeses: a variety of cheeses, each made with different cultures,
acidities and processes. All represent an abundance of different
flavors, and different practices perfected through the years.
Pasteurization
requires heat--a factor that concerns raw milk cheese defenders, who
believe that the process deteriorates the quality of the product and
the nutrients, including healthy bacteria.
Last updated: 5/06/10
Macalester College · 1600 Grand Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55105 USA · 651-696-6000
Comments and questions to rebecca.harnik@macalester.edu
