New trend? Or dangerously illegal?

Health officials cracking down on raw milk products

 
   

Tanya ¢ Colledge

hile raw milk has begun
to gain popularity among
those who seek a more

natural and less processed diet, public
health officials are warning that it
may not be as good as it sounds.

Like most products, raw milk
has many variations. True raw
milk comes from organic grass-
fed cows, cooled at two to three
degrees Celsius, and then bottled
for consumption. By removing the
pasteurization, homogenization and
filtering processes, some experts say
this form of milk is a more complete
and balanced food that contains many
healing and health benefits. B.C.’s
provincial health officer on the other
hand, disagrees.

“There is no scientific evidence
to suggest that raw milk has any
benefit that pasteurized milk
doesn’t,” said Dr. Perry Kendall, the
provincial health officer. “And there’s
a pile of evidence to suggest that raw
milk carries with it a whole lot of
hazards.”

After the Center for Disease
Control found that five out of 15

or contamination of faeces on its
teats at levels you wouldn’t visibly
be able to see,” Kendall said. “It’s
nearly impossible to guarantee that
your cows are infection-free and
contaminant-free.”

Currently, raw milk cannot be
sold in Canada. Dairy farm operators
are only allowed to consume what
they produce, creating a strong
demand for the product amongst
those who do not own the farms.
However, some farms like the
Home on the Range dairy farm in
Chilliwack, have now found a way
around the law by offering what
is called a co-op dairy, allowing
members to own stakes in the farm,
thus making them part owners. This
loophole has allowed farm owners
Alice Jongerden and her husband
to distribute the milk to other
enthusiasts after officials raided the
farm.

“What we are doing is
completely legal,” Jongerden said
in an interview with the Chilliwack
Times. “I’m still milking cows for the
same people. I can’t quit, they won’t
let me.” She said that the demand
for the product has only grown.
Raw milk activists have also now
begun to approach the Chilliwack
dairy farmers in hopes to spread the

“There is no scientific evidence to suggest that raw milk has
any benefit that pasteurized milk doesn’t, and there’s a pile of
evidence to suggest that raw milk carries with it a whole lot of

hazards.” —Dr. Perry Kendall, provincial health officer

samples of raw milk, yogurt, cream,
butter and cream cheese from the
dairy farm all tested positive for
faecal contamination upon a raid of
the Home on the Range dairy farm,
the operation was shut down in fear
of another potential E. Coli outbreak
similar to that of southern Vancouver
Island in 2001, that was traced
back to raw goat milk of which 30
people, from 18 different households
consumed.

“You're talking about
taking raw milk from an animal
which could have subclinical
infection, intermittent infection

6

good news and benefits of raw milk
to the community, and reverse the
scepticism and bad press.

The contaminated samples
deemed “dangerous” by the CDC
earlier this month are now being
challenged by raw milk enthusiasts,
saying that the results do not
prove that the product is unfit for
consumption. Public health officials
have not released any new data on
the samples, but continue to warn
consumers of the known potential
health risks involved with the
product.

 

Google voted word of the decade

 

 

 

 

By Tanya Colledge, Staff Reporter

oogle’s dominating online
presence over the past 10
years has earned itself the

vote for word of the decade at the
American Dialect Society (ADS)

and “sub-prime” in 2007. Although
the terms selected by the society
are not officially inducted into the
English language, ADS believes
that by conducting the vote, they
are embracing the evolution of our
language— promoting that language

“1 really thought ‘blog’ would take the honors in the word of the
decade category, but more people Google than blog, don’t they?
Plus, many people think ‘blog’ just sounds ugly.”

20" annual session.

Google, a verb meaning “to
search the internet,” beat out other
finalists 9/11, Facebook, blog, text
and Wi-Fi. The society also voted
tweet, a noun meaning a short
message sent via the Twitter.com
service, as 2009’s word of the year.

“Both words are, in the end,
products of the Information Age,
where every person has the ability
to satisfy curiosity and to broadcast
to a select following, both via the
Internet.” Grant Barrett, chair of
the New Words Committee said in
an official media release. “I really
thought ‘blog’ would take the
honours in the word of the decade
category, but more people Google
than blog, don’t they? Plus, many
people think ‘blog’ just sounds
ugly.”

To win the title of word of
the year, words must have gained
popularity and prominence in that
year. The members of the 120-year-
old organization include linguists,
grammarians, historians, researchers,
writers, professors, etymologists
and university students. Previous
winners include “bail-out” in 2008

change is normal, ongoing and
entertaining.

Not only is ADS’ word of the year
vote the longest running of its kind,
but the society also examines and
votes on other significant terms

used in our colloquial language. The
following are their highlighted terms
for 2009:

Most useful:

Fail: A noun or interjection used
when something is egregiously
unsuccessful. Usually written as
"FAIL!"

Most creative:
Dracula sneeze: Covering one’s
mouth with the crook of one’s elbow

-when sneezing, seen as similar to

popular portrayals of the vampire
Dracula, in which he hides the lower
half of his face with a cape.

Most likely to succeed:
: Bas A ae of the