Great article. There's a lot of misinformation floating around the social media pages and few influences do their research. The inherent dangers of unpasteurized dairy are reflected in the math.
You mentioned Canada in your article...
The powers that be are really digging in their heels about raw milk. Immediately after stating that 449 raw milk food poisonings led to five deaths — compared to 174 pasteurized milk poisonings, of which 17 people died and seven miscarriages occurred — the Canadian Public Health Association’s first conclusion is that “warnings about the risk of unpasteurized dairy consumption need to continue.”
56% of 40 million is 22.4 million. So, 174 cases out of 22.4 million (roughly 1 case per 128 000, and 1 death per 1.3 million). 4% of 40 million is 1.6 million. So, 449 case's out of 1.6 million (roughly 1 case per 3500, and 1 death per 320 000). Those rates show that consumption of unpasteurized milk is much more likely to cause an illness... 36 times more likely to get sick, and 4 times more likely to die. I'm using 4% as the number for example. If I reduced that number to 2% then those illness and death rates for unpasteurized consumption double.
Thank you for all the content you've created and shared since launching the newsletter.
Oh I believe your numbers, but/and I also believe that there is more than one way to do math. (It's a real "having a disability makes you open-minded" situation.)
Overall my complaint is about the messaging, however. If I were pregnant, I wouldn't drink raw milk.* But I would also like to know how often listeria is found in pasteurized milk. But the US/Canadian governments aren't ever going to advise against drinking milk because (you know where this is going) the dairy industry has too much clout. Everything consumers are faced with is at least a mild scam, and it takes so much energy to shift through it all.
*(And like I said I wouldn't serve it to kids or the elderly, and I've always advised friends when offering something made with raw milk. I find the influencers who specifically advise feeding raw milk to babies to be on the same level as anti-vaxxers.)
Great article. There's a lot of misinformation floating around the social media pages and few influences do their research. The inherent dangers of unpasteurized dairy are reflected in the math.
You mentioned Canada in your article...
The powers that be are really digging in their heels about raw milk. Immediately after stating that 449 raw milk food poisonings led to five deaths — compared to 174 pasteurized milk poisonings, of which 17 people died and seven miscarriages occurred — the Canadian Public Health Association’s first conclusion is that “warnings about the risk of unpasteurized dairy consumption need to continue.”
There are about 40 million people in Canada.
Roughly 56% consume dairy.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/438584/consumption-of-milk-per-capita-canada/
Roughly 2 to 4% consume unpasteurized dairy.
https://www.agproud.com/articles/58713-unpacking-the-controversy-health-risks-and-legal-landscape-of-raw-milk-in-canada
56% of 40 million is 22.4 million. So, 174 cases out of 22.4 million (roughly 1 case per 128 000, and 1 death per 1.3 million). 4% of 40 million is 1.6 million. So, 449 case's out of 1.6 million (roughly 1 case per 3500, and 1 death per 320 000). Those rates show that consumption of unpasteurized milk is much more likely to cause an illness... 36 times more likely to get sick, and 4 times more likely to die. I'm using 4% as the number for example. If I reduced that number to 2% then those illness and death rates for unpasteurized consumption double.
Thank you for all the content you've created and shared since launching the newsletter.
Oh I believe your numbers, but/and I also believe that there is more than one way to do math. (It's a real "having a disability makes you open-minded" situation.)
Overall my complaint is about the messaging, however. If I were pregnant, I wouldn't drink raw milk.* But I would also like to know how often listeria is found in pasteurized milk. But the US/Canadian governments aren't ever going to advise against drinking milk because (you know where this is going) the dairy industry has too much clout. Everything consumers are faced with is at least a mild scam, and it takes so much energy to shift through it all.
*(And like I said I wouldn't serve it to kids or the elderly, and I've always advised friends when offering something made with raw milk. I find the influencers who specifically advise feeding raw milk to babies to be on the same level as anti-vaxxers.)
Industry lobbyists and social media influencers definitely don't help.
I get what you're saying and I'm glad you're approaching this topic from a level-headed viewpoint.