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ROB MCCLENDON: WELL PASTEURIZATION IS A PROCESS THAT HEATS MILK TO
A SPECIFIC TEMPERATURE FOR A SET PERIOD OF TIME.
FIRST DEVELOPED BY LOUIS PASTEUR IN 1864, PASTEURIZATION KILLS
HARMFUL ORGANISMS RESPONSIBLE FOR DISEASES LIKE LISTERIA, SALMONELLA,
TYPHOID FEVER AND DIPHTHERIA.
BUT A RECENT MOVEMENT IS GROWING TO GO BACK TO A MORE ORGANIC TIME OF
CONSUMING RAW MILK STRAIGHT FROM THE COW.
JOINING ME NOW IS OUR ALISA HINES.
ALISA HINES: THAT'S RIGHT ROB, MANY OKLAHOMANS ARE CHOOSING RAW MILK OVER
STORE BOUGHT, PASTEURIZED MILK BECAUSE THEY BELIEVE IT KEEPS THEIR FAMILIES
DISEASE-FREE.
BUT CURRENTLY IN OKLAHOMA, TO BUY RAW MILK YOU HAVE TO DRIVE TO A FARM WHICH
CAN BE SEVERAL MILES AWAY, AND MANY WOULD LIKE INSTEAD THE CONVENIENCE OF
HAVING IT DELIVERED RIGHT TO YOUR FRONT DOOR.
MILK, IT DOES A BODY GOOD.
BUT THERE'S A FIGHT FERMENTING AT THE STATE CAPITOL OVER THE ALABASTER
LIQUID.
REPRESENTATIVE KEN WALKER IS LEADING THE WAY TO CHANGE THE CURRENT LAW
REGARDING HOW RAW MILK IS SOLD IN OKLAHOMA.
KEN WALKER: THERE'S A HUGE CONSUMER BASE FOR RAW MILK.
AND, THE PEOPLE WANT TO HAVE RAW MILK DELIVERED TO THEM, SOME PEOPLE DO,
OTHER PEOPLE LIKE THE ASPECT OF GOING TO THE FARM, AND THERE'S SOME
PEOPLE WHO CAN'T READILY GET OUT OF THEIR HOUSE.
AND SO WE WERE LOOKING AT THREE ASPECTS TODAY AND THAT WAS; DELIVERY FROM
THE FARM TO THE CONSUMER; HERD SHARES, WHICH BASICALLY IT WOULD MAKE
YOU AN OWNER OF THE COW AND THE TRANSACTIONS WOULD BE BETWEEN OWNERS; AND
THIRDLY, ADVERTISING OF RAW MILK.
ALISA: EDMOND NATUROPATHIC DOCTOR MICHELE MENZEL RECOMMENDS RAW MILK TO ALL
HER PATIENTS.
MICHELE MENZEL: I LOVE RAW MILK, AND IN FACT, I THINK THAT IT IS SAFER THAN
PASTEURIZED MILK BECAUSE IT STILL HAS ALL OF THE ANTIBODIES INTACT IN THE
MILK THAT ACTUALLY PROTECTS THE BODY FROM PATHOGENS AND ASSISTS THE
BODY IN GETTING RID OF THINGS THAT THE BODY DOESN'T NEED.
SO THERE'S THAT PROTECTANT THAT IS LOST IN THE PASTEURIZATION PROCESS OF,
YOU KNOW, COMMERCIAL MILK THAT YOU BUY IN THE GROCERY STORE.
ALISA: JOANNA FRANCISCO IS A MOM AND BELIEVES IN THE BENEFITS OF GIVING HER
CHILDREN RAW MILK.
JOANNA FRANCISCO: WE HAVE NOT HAD AN ILLNESS IN OUR FAMILY.
WE HAVEN'T BEEN TO THE DOCTOR IN SEVEN YEARS OR MORE.
AND EVERYBODY; WE HAVE FOUR CHILDREN WHO'VE BEEN RAISED ON THIS BASICALLY,
AND THEY'RE JUST VERY HEALTHY.
ALISA: YET SOME, LIKE THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH'S MARK NEWMAN,
ADVISE PRUDENCE WHEN CONSUMING RAW MILK.
MARK NEWMAN: I THINK OUR CONCERNS AT THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT ARE THAT
UNPASTEURIZED MILK POSES 150 TIMES GREATER RISK THAN PASTEURIZED MILK.
AND THAT THE CDC, THE CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION, HAS
DOCUMENTED OVER 1,500 CASES OF FOOD-BORNE ILLNESS FROM PEOPLE FROM
CONSUMING UNPASTEURIZED MILK OR UNPASTEURIZED MILK PRODUCTS BETWEEN 1993 AND
2006.
AND WE JUST KNOW FROM THE EXPERIENCE THAT OTHER STATES HAVE HAD WHICH HAVE
RELAXED THEIR LAWS ON RAW MILK, AND RAW MILK PRODUCTS, THAT YOU'RE
GOING TO SEE AN INCREASED INCIDENCE OF FOOD-BORNE ILLNESS FROM THE
CONSUMPTION OF RAW MILK.
ALISA: ACCORDING TO BLAYNE ARTHUR, FROM THE OKLAHOMA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE,
FOOD AND FORESTRY, THEY JUST WANT TO BE SURE THAT THE PUBLIC IS AWARE OF THE
RAW MILK ISSUES.
BLAYNE ARTHUR: WE WANT TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT, FOR ANY CONSUMERS WHO ARE MAKING
THE DECISION TO PURCHASE RAW MILK FOR THEMSELVES, OR THEIR FAMILY, THAT
THEY'RE JUST VERY AWARE OF THE PRODUCT THAT THEY'RE PURCHASING.
RAW MILK OBVIOUSLY IS NOT PASTEURIZED.
THERE MIGHT BE SOME POTENTIAL CONCERNS WITH RAW MILK AS OPPOSED TO
PASTEURIZED MILK.
AND WE WANT TO BE SURE IF CONSUMERS ARE MAKING THAT CHOICE THAT THEY HAVE BEEN
TO THE FACILITY.
CURRENTLY, RAW MILK, YOU CAN PURCHASE RAW MILK FROM THE FARM CURRENTLY.
IT CAN'T BE DELIVERED, AND A BIG REASON FOR THAT IS SO THAT YOU AS A CONSUMER
HAVE BEEN TO THAT FACILITY, MET THOSE PRODUCERS, AND KNOW THE
PRODUCT THAT YOU ARE BUYING.
ALISA: SO WHILE YOU STILL HAVE TO GO TO THE FARM TO BUY RAW MILK, IT WILL BE
UP TO OKLAHOMA LAWMAKERS WHETHER OR NOT IT CAN BE DELIVERED TO YOUR DOOR.
NOW WHILE THIS DOES SEEM TO BE ABOUT CONSUMER CONVENIENCE, IT'S ALSO
ABOUT THE ABILITY TO ADVERTISE THE PRODUCT.
ROB: HOW SO?
ALISA: WELL CURRENTLY AS THE LAW STANDS, YOU CANNOT ADVERTISE YOUR PRODUCT.
SO IF YOU'RE GOING TO FIND OUT ABOUT IT, IT HAS TO BE BY WORD OF MOUTH OR THE
FARMER CAN PUT A SIGN AT THE END OF THEIR DRIVEWAY, BUT YOU HAVE TO DRIVE BY
IT TO SEE IT.
SO IF THEY CAN ADVERTISE THE PRODUCT, THEY CAN GET MORE PEOPLE TO BUY THE
MILK AND THEN THAT WILL MAKE IT A LITTLE BIT BETTER IN THE LONG RUN TO
BE ABLE TO DELIVER IT, IF THEY ARE ALLOWED.
ROB: SO WHAT EXACTLY IS THE OPPOSITION TO THE ADVERTISING?
ALISA: WELL AS MARK NEWMAN SAYS, IT'S MORE ABOUT TRUTH IN ADVERTISING.
WHAT YOU SEE ON THE INTERNET MAY LOOK BEAUTIFUL AND PERFECT, BUT
WHAT YOU GET MAY NOT BE THE BEST THING.
AND AS BLAYNE ARTHUR ALSO HAS A GOOD POINT.
MANY OF THE PEOPLE ARE REMOVED FROM THE FARM BY SEVERAL GENERATIONS.
SO IF THEY HAVE TO GO TO THE FARM, THEN THEY GET TO MEET THEIR FARMER; THEY
GET TO SEE HOW CLEAN THE PLACE IS; AND THEY GET TO SEE HOW THEIR MILK IS
PRODUCED.
ROB: YEAH, WELL CERTAINLY VALID POINTS ON BOTH SIDES OF THE ISSUE; IT WILL BE
AN INTERESTING DEBATE DOWN AT THE LEGISLATURE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH ALISA.
ALISA: YOU'RE WELCOME ROB.