James wrote on Oct 12, 2006 11:43 PM:I doubt the safety of raw milk. Read this article and tell me if raw milk is safe: Small TB outbreak traced to raw milk BIRMINGHAM, England , Oct. 13 (UPI) -- Health officials in Britain say an outbreak of bovine tuberculosis appears to have started with a man who drank raw milk. Seven people are known to have contracted the infection in Birmingham , England , The Independent reported, and one died. Officials say that the outbreak appears to have been stopped. Peter Hawkey of the Birmingham Heartlands Hospital said the seven victims were part of a "complex social web" with two of them being romantically involved. Three of the six appear to have been infected at a nightclub. The victims were also suffering from other diseases that made them vulnerable to infection. No new cases have been reported since February.

Terry wrote on Oct 13, 2006 3:26 PM:You got to be crazy to drink Raw Milk. I have milked cows and even if you are very careful the milk machines sometimes fall of the udder and since the suction continues for several seconds, everything between the cow’s hind legs is being sucked up into the tank. Many cows also have mastitis which is hard to detect in the early stages and most inexperienced Milkers pump the bloody milk regardless. The filters do a decent job but I they are not much better than a coffee filter. Here is an interesting info in regards to Organic Pastures Dairy; it is in the Central Valley, where it gets easily 110 Degrees for weeks in the summertime. I have seen OP-Dairy; the cows have zero shade, not even a Tree. They suffer much more than at conventional dairy’s which provide shade, misters and fans to keep them cool.

Gary in Murrieta wrote on Oct 16, 2006 5:14 PM:The poll question was misleading. I answered it before I read the Story. My children drink nothing but Organic Milk, but as the label says it is produced without the use of Hormones, Antibiotics, or Pesticides, and it is Ultra-Pasteurized. I would never take a chance with raw milk in my house. I really think Louis Pasteur was on to something when he developed "pasteurization", a process by which harmful microbes in perishable food products are destroyed using heat, without destroying the food.

To NCT: wrote on Oct 16, 2006 5:16 PM:RE: The poll : You forgot to use the word "RAW" in the poll question. Just using the word "Organic" is misleading. R/ Skip

Milkmaid wrote on Oct 17, 2006 3:52 AM:The question is too broad; you have to know and trust the source of the milk. Years ago I had a 'starter dairy.' I milked the cows, processed the milk and sold it to a very limited number of people. No one got sick due to sanitary issues but one man had problems relating to the consumption of high fat milk that was intended for kids. Adults need to be aware of cholesterol issues. Good raw milk tends to have a high fat content but it sure is tasty. Sometimes I think it might be nice to keep a dairy cow. Besides, they are really nice pets. I miss them.

Catherine wrote on Oct 18, 2006 11:49 AM:Does anyone know how many people get sick from pasteurized milk? Especially when we kill the enzymes through pasterization. It makes you wonder how the human race survived before pasteurization. I would drink raw organic whole milk only from a reputable dairy, rather than the dead stuff sold at the stores. I am glad there are reputable dairies out there who provide raw organic whole milk for poeple who understand the difference.

todd wrote on Nov 14, 2006 6:35 PM:"Most milk sold in grocery stores is pasteurized, but raw dairy products may contain disease-causing microorganisms." This statement is rather misleading. Have you done any research on outbreaks of illness that have been linked to pasteurized dairy products? Of course there will be more outbreaks because it's hard to get unpasteurized dairy products, but the above statement would lead one to believe that pasteurized dairy is 100% safe and free from disease-causing microorganisms, which it clearly is not.

Tori wrote on Dec 21, 2007 5:00 PM:I grew up drinking raw milk... its the pasturized and hom. I worry most about. However, we milked our own, without the use of machines, and knew exactly what condition the milk cow was in... or Bessey, if we want to name her:) The processed stuff is missing the enzymes and almost all nutritional value. I am more upset at the personal choice of drinking it that is comming about in some states. If I want to drink raw milk, I think I have every right to do so. Never been sick from the stuff, unless its from the store...