Rawesome Foods and the Raw Milk Debate

Recently, food co-op Rawesome in Venice, California was raided by the FDA for selling raw milk without a permit. This has re-kindled the on-going debate about the safety of raw milk, the operations of the FDA, and the individual liberties of Americans.

It should be noted that this is not the first time Rawesome has been raided. They were similarly raided in 2010. The recent raid raid came as a result of a sting operation the FDA has been running there for the past year, presumably since the first raid occurred.

While this seems to be a question of proper permits, the question of raw milk consumption is a debate between food safety and potential health benefits.

A Short History of Pasteurization in the US

After the discovery of germ theory in the 1890’s, milk was pasteurized to control the potential hazards of highly contagious bacterial diseases, including bovine tuberculosis, that could be easily transmitted to humans through the drinking of raw milk. At the time, no product testing was available to determine if a farmer's milk was safe or infected so, all milk had to be treated as potentially dangerous.

In the United States, milk pasteurization was widely used in the 1920s and it was considered a major breakthrough in public health. Pasteurization has been credited with reducing infectious disease rates in the U.S. more than 90% over the past century. In 1924, Grade A pasteurization became a recommended federal policy, but interstate commerce of unpasteurized dairy products was not limited via federal legislation until 1987.

Health and Safety Issues in Raw Milk

Pasteurized milk is heated to 161 °F for 15 seconds, killing harmful bacteria, such as E. coli and salmonella, sometimes found in milk. The pasteurization process, however, also destroys some vitamins as well as healthy bacteria, such as L. acidophilous.

Exposure to harmful bacteria present in some milk can lead to tuberculosis, listeriosis, salmonellosis, and several other food borne illnesses. The symptoms range from nausea, to diarrhea, to death. According to the FDA, in 2002 there were nearly 200 deaths that could be directly associated with exposure to such bacteria by drinking raw milk. Pasteurization also kills many bacteria that lead to spoilage, contributing to a longer shelf life.

Pasteurization isn’t discriminatory in killing bacteria, however. It also kills “helpful” bacteria, such as L. acidophilous, used in culturing yoghurt and cheese. Milk products with L. acidophilus, have been associated with a decrease in pediatric diarrhea, decreased levels of toxic amines in the blood of some dialysis patients, aids in lactose digestion and has been linked to a a reduction in certain risks associated with coronary heart disease.

The FDA maintains that the benefits of pasteurization far outweigh the loss of health benefits. L. acidophilus can be found in pasteurized yoghurt and cheeses. Some raw milk advocates cite government regulation of raw milk consumption as a threat to civil liberties, noting that adults are allowed to consume more dangerous substances.

My Opinion on Raw Milk

The debate over raw milk is interesting. On the one hand, the benefits of destroying pathogenic bacteria in our food supply can’t be ignored. On the other, such bacteria can be re-introduced if the milk is handled improperly after pasteurization. Such bacteria is not present in all milk and there are several tests available to check for it before the milk is put in the refrigerator section of stores.

My own experience with consuming raw milk has been limited. There are a few farms in Utah that are licensed to produce and sell raw milk. They use incredible handling procedures to ensure it’s safety, going miles beyond the norm to maintain proper temperatures. By law, they make you sign a waiver sto ensure you know the risks, and they don’t sell to minors. I have occasionally purchased and consumed milk from them. Growing up, my grandparents and at least one uncle kept cows. Drinking fresh, raw milk while visiting them was not uncommon. They would pasteurize the milk in large batches on the stove before serving it, from time time, as well. I have never gotten sick consuming raw milk.

As for taste, I don’t find much difference. There’s a greater taste difference between organically produced milk, pasteurized or not, and other milk. Different brands have different tastes, as well. I’m guessing this is due more to the diet and living conditions of the cows than anything else. I prefer the organic variety, but it’s more expensive so, I purchase it as a treat, not a staple.

Currently, I want a legal choice between raw and pasteurized milk, as long as food production and sanitation guidelines are being held to the highest standards and enforced. It’s insane to think that we have to sign a waiver to buy raw milk, but adults can buy cigarettes without signing anything.

Raw milk with cookies? Evil! Cigarettes and whiskey? Go ahead and kill yourself, we don’t care. It’s ridiculous.

Does this mean I’m rushing out to buy raw milk? No way. I’ve already laid out the benefits of pasteurization and, like the FDA, I think they outweigh the loss of a few nutrients. I can get my daily doses of L. acidophilus by eating yogurt and cheese, thank you. (I make my own yoghurt and buttermilk from time to time using NFD milk. I’ll show you how, another day. It’s easier than you think.)

That doesn’t mean I’m riding on the FDA’s anti-raw milk bandwagon. I think the current policies and enforcement are too heavy-handed and hurt small, local farmers. The fact that the FDA uses federal tax dollars to help states that actively seek to counter raw milk consumption is an indirect way of pressuring states to give up the authority to govern food commerce within their own states.

That’s a debate for another day, though. I’d like to hear your opinion. Please share your thoughts with us by leaving a comment, below.

Is MSG Safe?

With the discovery of glutamate receptors in the tongue, showing that glutamate is a taste (umami) and not just an “enhancement,” the question of whether MSG is safe to use rears its ugly and confused head.

What is MSG?

First, let's define what we're talking about. Monosodium glutamate, or MSG, is the free form sodium salt of glutamic acid. Glutamic acid naturally occurs in many fermented or aged foods, including soy sauce, fermented bean paste (miso), and cheese. It's also found in asparagus, tomatoes, corn, peas, and even human milk.

Glutamic acid was identified in the year 1866 by Karl Ritthausen, in German chemist. Later, in 1907, Kikunae Ikeda, a researcher at theTokyo Imperial University, identified it in the brown crystals left behind after the evaporation of kombu. These crystals of glutamic acid reproduced a flavor he detected in many foods, especially in seaweed. Professor Ikeda called this flavor umami. He went on to patent a method of mass-producing a crystalline salt of glutamic acid: MSG.

MSG and Chinese Restaurant Syndrome.

The question of MSG's safety began in April, 1968. Robert Ho Man Kwok wrote a letter to the New England Journal of Medicine stating:

“I have experienced a strange syndrome whenever I have eaten out in a Chinese restaurant, especially one that served northern Chinese food. The syndrome, which usually begins 15 to 20 minutes after I have eaten the first dish, lasts for about two hours, without hangover effect. The most prominent symptoms are numbness at the back of the neck, gradually radiating to both arms and the back, general weakness and palpitations...”

In 1969 this syndrome was attributed to the flavor enhancer glutamate, largely due to the widely-cited article "Monosodium L-glutamate: its pharmacology and role in the Chinese Restaurant Syndrome" (CRS)* published in the journal Science, that year.  It became known under the names "Chinese food syndrome" and "monosodium glutamate symptom complex."

Symptoms attributed to the Chinese restaurant syndrome are rather common and unspecific. They have included burning sensations, numbness, tingling, feelings of warmth, facial pressure or tightness, chest pain, headache, nausea, rapid heartbeat, bronchospasm in people with asthma,drowsiness, and general weakness.

The Science of MSG Safety

Finding reliable studies on the safety of MSG had been a struggle. As with all things on the net (including this article), lots of people seem to quote lots of other people and then say, “See? This shows I'm right” regarding their position on the safety of MSG. Oddly, people on both sides of  the argument quote the same studies as evidence as being for their position, and against the opposing one.

The problem with many of the studies that  show MSG is the cause of  CRS symptoms, an association has never been demonstrated under rigorously controlled conditions, even in studies with people who were convinced that they were sensitive to the compound. A 2002 study, for example, found that rats fed on diets supplemented with 10% and 20% pure monosodium glutamate suffered retinal degeneration, possibly through glutamate accumulation in the eye. The problem is,  these amounts are more than 10 times higher than those used for flavoring or naturally found in foods prepared for human consumption.

The one constant seems to be MSG sensitivity. Some people are sensitive to it, and others aren't. Those that are sensitive should avoid it. Those that are not sensitive, can enjoy it in moderate amounts.

My Take on MSG

After reading doing the research, and reading the hype on both sides, I've decided to throw my hat in with the MSG is generally safe at normal consumption levels crowd. I've never suffered when eating MSG laden food at Chinese restaurants. It's not just Chinese food, though. You're likely to get as much glutamic acid from eating pizza with tomatoes and Parmesan cheese as you are moo goo gai pan.

Does that mean I'm going to rush out and buy a bottle of MSG? No, but not because it isn't safe. I simply don't need to. It's already found in ingredients I commonly use to help flavor foods, such as meat stocks and cheeses. I don't add any ingredient to my foods unless there's a reason. If I don't need the MSG to make things taste good, why buy it?

For more information on MSG, and another foodie's take on the MSG safety issue, I found the  following websites to be useful, or at least entertaining:

If MSG is so bad for you, why doesn't everyone in Asia have a headache? - The Guardian

Monosodium glutamate (MSG): Is it harmful? - The Mayo Clinic

Monosodium glutamate: Poison the body to better the taste! - Worldwide Health Center (this is a commercial site, but the posted article was interesting)

Research on MSG – Feingold Association

MSG Myths (video) – Web MD

*Note that CRS, Chinese Restaurant Syndrom, should not be confused with the other kind of CRS that so many of us face as we get older: Can't Remember .... what was I talking about, again?

Umami – Is MSG a Taste?

When I was in school, I was taught there were only four tastes your tongue could pick up: Sweet, Salty, Sour, and Bitter. Recently, however, a fifth taste has been discovered: Umami, commonly added to food in the form of MSG (monosodium glutamate).

I say discovered, but that's really a misnomer. All that really means is that Western scientists have confirmed a fifth taste receptor on the tongue that detects glutimate. The Japanese have known about it for years. The Chinese may have known about it, too, considering they seem to  have started the whole MSG in food craze.

A taste is a sensation created by receptors on the tongue.  The flavor of food is a combination of its taste, smell, texture, temperature, and perhaps a few other chemicals.

While there is no direct English translation of the word umami, it's often described as "meaty", "savory" or "broth-like". Traditionally, MSG has been considered a taste enhancer; it was thought to make the tongue more receptive to other tastes. Although the Japanese have considered umami a taste for a long time, only recently have taste receptors on the tongue been identified, which allowed umami to be officially classified as the fifth taste.

Glutamate gives some vegetables a "meaty" taste. For example, umami is the "meaty" or "savory" taste found in sauteed mushrooms, fermented foods and sauces such as soy sauce, and even fresh tomatoes. The umami taste is also high in cheese, shellfish, stocks, broths and even chocolate.

Most prominently associated with glutamate, ribonucleic acids can also impart an umami taste. Glutamate and ribonucleic acid may complement each other, creating an enhanced umami taste.

Glutamate is an amino acid. In its free form, called a salt of glutamic acid - monosodium glutamate or simply sodium glutamate - it imparts the umami taste to food. Glutamate is also an amino acid that makes up regular proteins, but when glutamate is bound in a protein, it doesn't really impart the umami taste.

Adding a pinch of MSG to your seasoning mix or or directly when cooking foods may generate a more "meaty" or "savory" flavor. Another option is to use foods naturally high in glutamate. This may be secret behind the use of stocks, broths and tomatoes in imparting a rich, savory flavor to dishes.

This is all well and good, but isn't MSG dangerous to our health? I've always thought so. The more research I do, though, the weirder it gets. Stay tuned …

Food Prices are Rising, Home Gardening Can Help

Unrest in the Middle East combined with stock speculation are driving crude oil prices higher and higher. Because of this, food prices, already at a record highs, are likely to increase even further throughout the year.

Hiroyuki Konuma, of the United Nations Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO), has said, "The potential risk is crude oil may continue to go higher, and if the floods and drought happen again, we'll face further price increases." He has also said that, "… we're in a much better situation than the crisis in 2008."

In a video press briefing from Bangkok, Abdolreza Abbassian, a senior FAO economist, said “We will get an increase in production but not sufficient to ease the market ... High, volatile prices will continue in 2011 and even in 2012 ...We have to be extremely cautious about what is going to come in 2011-2012. Spring is going to be extremely critical, when farmers will decide what crop they’re going to plant. In many major producing regions, we have already hit maximum acreage.”

Higher crude oil prices were not the only things that have contributed to higher food prices. According to an index compiled by the FAO, prices have surged as bad weather has ruined crops from Canada to Australia. Suffering from its worst drought in 50 years, Russia has stopped exporting grain.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, wheat production for 2011 is estimated at 645.4 million tons. The demand, however, has been forecast at 662.7 million tons. Corn is not any better. Its production is estimated at 814.3 million tons, compared to a demand of 836 million tons.

Rice production is the only cereal grain where production, estimated at 451.6 million tons, is slightly above the estimated demand of 451 million tons. Unfortunately for South Asia, rice prices rose to record highs in January.

Fortunately, the FAO has also proposed a solution. Yesterday, they released a report that suggests small scale farming practices could be used in double world food production in 10 years. So called agroecological practices, very similar to organic farming, focus on increasing soil quality and biodiversity.

To me, this implies that it is more important than ever for us to build up our food storage and supplement it with home vegetable gardening. Even though my family garden was a near disaster last year, we are planning on trying again this year. We know we can't grow everything, but we can certainly supplement our diets with a nutritious homegrown food.

Photo credit: Christa Richert

Freeze Destroys Crops in Mexico - I Hope You Have Food Storage

I hope you've already laid in some canned or frozen veggies in your food storage. Produce prices are expected to rise dramatically in the next few days after a freeze destroyed a massive number of Mexican food crops. Like it or not, most of the produce sold in the U.S. during the winter is grown in Mexico. Another reason to buy local and put in your own garden this year?