Wellness Exchange: Health Discussions
Bird Flu Forces Raw Milk Giant to Pasteurize
(upbeat music) - Welcome to Quick News. This is Ted. The news was published on Thursday, December 5th. Today we're diving into a buzzworthy topic that's shaking up California's dairy land. I'm thrilled to be joined by Eric and Kate. Let's get this show on the road. - Thanks for having me, Ted. This whole situation with raw farms going pasteurized is quite a splash in the milk industry. I mean, raw farms isn't just some tiny operation. They're a juggernaut in the raw milk biz. It's like the cow in the China shop kind of deal impacting sales big time, dropping to just a fifth of their usual revenue. That's like milking a cow and only getting cream cheese. It's huge. - Oh, please, Eric. The health risks are mind-blowing. The FDA practically shouts from the rooftops that raw milk is a pathogen party. Samanella and E. coli don't send invitations, but they sure crash the bash. And now add bird flu to the guest list? Come on. Cats are dropping after sipping the stuff. It's like a feline horror flick. The risk is real, whether you sip or meow. - I hear you, but darling, there's zip-o-solid evidence that humans catch bird flu from guzzling raw milk. It's been kitty cats, not folks, falling over. It just feels like we're throwing the baby out with the bathwater or, in this case, the creamy raw milk out with the-- - That brings up an interesting point. Raw farms, cheese, butter, and kefir aren't part of the recall. Does leaving these products on the shelves come with its own set of risks? - Definitely. Just because they're aged longer doesn't make them immune superheroes. They're not risk-proof capes waving in the dairy breeze. The FDA suing raw farms over cross-state sales says it all. Folks are rightly worried about these risky business moves. And aged or not, people deserve to be safe. - It's a little more complex than that, Kate. Those products have gone through the ringer with processes that knock down some risks. This selective recall, yeah, it's spinning more about what folks think, rather than stamping out every droplet of danger, more like dealing with the PR. - Speaking of perceptions, Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s support of raw farms is quite the headlines. How does his backing alter public perceptions? - Well, his endorsement is like cow-sized stamp of approval. With Kennedy on board, it's like rallying the troops with a banner that says, "Trust this milk." His promises to end the FDA's war or whatever on raw milk give some folks hope that it's just goof overreach. He's kindling a flame of belief in the raw deal. - Yeah, but flip the coin, Eric. Kennedy buds in and people might suddenly buy raw milk like it's a political badge instead of the breakfast staple. It's a whole new set of motivations here based more on their voting records than what's in their fridge. And frankly, that's not the part of our health. - Mark McAfee, the founder of raw farms, calls pasteurization a horrible hit to his bottom line. What's the bigger message here about the raw milk industry? - Ted, it shows it's way beyond just health concerns. This is survival of the fittest dollar-wise. You've got Dr. Paul Saladino whipping up $19 smoothies, right? Huge money games here, depicting the tussle between survival and the sweet cream of profitability in the raw milk market. - Exactly, and that's kind of my point. Health takes a back seat when money's at the wheel. Pasteurizing might be grudgingly done, but it's like pulling back the curtain and showing there's more to the risk game than we care to admit, like a sour aftertaste in the smoothie of profitability. - In historical terms, raw milk's been through the ringer before. Can you both share a past event that mirrors this bird flu drama and why it flies high in relevance today? - Sure thing, remember the 1980s Salmonella scare in Old Kentucky? The fear was thicker than a milkshake leading to tough new rules. Everyone was spooked like now with bird flu. Risks are real, but the reaction snowball's even quicker, overshadowing the occasional smidgen of truth. - Oh yeah, echoing that drama helps us understand fear's grip on the public. Regulations back then acted like life-fests, saving people from drowning in outbreaks. The past declares that safety nets are necessary to keep our health boats steady in rough milky waters. - True, but remember those same regulations clamped down hard on consumer choices, a flip-side lesson from history. It's a tightrope act between keeping folks safe and letting them decide what to fill their cereal bowls with. Balance is-- - How has that past influence today's raw milk view and rules? - That disturbance laid down the law like paving stones. Those interstate bans are still standing tall. They paint safety roadmaps still followed today, genuinely preventing health disasters, and perhaps sparing a few ambulance rides. - Yeah, but regulations sometimes overstep, like parents locking the cookie jar, adults aren't kids and can choose what they sip. Pervasive regulation can foster excessive caution, leaving adults, well, thirsty for freedom. - Bird flu's not the first virus to shake up industries. How does it stack up against previous viral scares? - It's like the avian flu storm of the mid-2000s and the poultry biz, same play, quick draw reactions before seeing the bigger pick, switching raw farms to pasteurization slams as an echo of those earlier, hasty precautionary jumps. - That's a good catch. Technology and science are light years ahead now. Yet this knee-jerk swing for drastic actions proves we sometimes miss lessons. History hands us while shouting, look both ways. - Given the history, should or shouldn't we let past playbooks write today's policy songs? - Historical tales are crucial guides. They steer policies to protect and school the public on sticky health matters. Recycling past tropes as guides is necessary to shape smart safety rules we need. - Agreed, but blindly repeating past tunes can rattle us. Modern insights should lead the way rules grounded in current data, hit sweeter notes letting history whisper, but not call the shots. - Predicting the roads ahead. How might the raw milk story unfold? What different paths do you reckon lie ahead for the industry? - A likely path is more red tape and oversight, squeezing small dairies. They ditch raw for pasteurized to dodge fines, slicing the raw milk pie to tiny wedges, lose the raw, lose the, well, lot. - Or a new dawn of innovation could break. Producers could invest in tech, reducing risks and keeping raw milk fresh on shelves. It's not just about milking cows. It's about milking ideas and keeping the industry vibrant and self-regulated. - If tighter regulations hit, what's the market domino effect and consumer lifestyle tweak? - Consumers might swap to pasteurized or non-dairy jokers like almond milk, giving a sour note to raw milk cravers. Regulations might also embolden die-hards to dig deeper into advocacy trenches against restrictive gov footsteps, while true, dancing regs might shine light on pasteurizations perks, nudging fans towards safer sipping without stripping raw buffs of their cream dreams. - Switch gears, if tech strides forward, what could the raw milk market take? - Imagine a thriving niche where safety tech fuels raw passion, extending the cream of the crop beyond purest circles, more like a fresh in-fashioned trend even hipsters might toast to with a glass. - Yeah, but tech equals price tags, costs might soar, leaving only the creamiest purse strings able to fondly afford those good old raw sips, freezing out some who just love raw for the earthy charm. - Do you believe innovation will hurdle these hurdles in the raw milk arena? - Betting on it, Ted. Pressure cooks up invention sparks. Bird flu flames could fuel next-gen strides, blending yummy freedom with necessary safety. - Hmm, I remain somewhat skeptical. As long as bureaucratic vines entangle and strangle sprouts of brilliance, we might watch many seeds wither on the vine before they bloom, red tape risks, making progress slog like a cow in mud. - Great insights today, thank you both. The raw milk saga continues, and we'll keep an eye on how this turns out. Thanks everyone for tuning in.