Nurses, doctors, others lineup against raw milk bill in Iowa

- Visiting Nurse Services of Iowa;
- Iowa Public Health Association;
- Iowa Academy of Pediatrics;
- Iowa Board of Regents;
- Iowa Medical Society;
- Iowa Farm Bureau;
- Iowa Grocery Industry Association;
- Iowa Geothermal Association;
- Iowa Veterinary Medical Association;
- Iowa Association of Counties;
- Iowa Institute for Cooperatives;
- Iowa Association of Business and Industry (ABI);
- Iowa Dairy Association; and
- Iowa Environmental Health Association.
“This container holds raw milk not subject to state inspection or other public health regulations that require pasteurization and grading.”
The bill provide for fines ranging from $65 to $650 and up to 30 days in jail for violations of the proposed law. Misdemeanor charges would apply. Opponents form a powerful coalition of both industry and public health interests concerned about the dangers of raw milk, including such pathogens as E. coli, Salmonella, and Campylobacter. Similiar alliances in other states have been successful in defeating efforts to legalize unpasteurized milk and other raw products made with it. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that raw milk is 800 times more likely to cause foodborne illness than pasteurized milk. “There are no health benefits from drinking raw milk that cannot be obtained from drinking pasteurized milk that is free of disease-causing bacteria,” according to the CDC. (To sign up for a free subscription to Food Safety News, click here.)
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