Massachusetts Raw Milk Protest and Hearing

In January, the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) sent cease-and-desist orders to four raw milk buying clubs in Massachusetts.

For weeks, citizens anticipated a public hearing on May 10 to discuss the amendments to the Code of Massachusetts Regulations (CMR) 330 CMR 27, "Standards and Sanitation Requirements for Raw Milk," which would outlaw buying clubs and make it illegal for individuals to entrust another person to purchase raw milk at the farm on their behalf.

However, just 3 days before the hearing, at around 5 pm on Friday, May 7, the MDAR announced that the proposed language related to raw milk purchase in section 27.08, which would make buying clubs illegal, would be removed and unavailable for commentary at the hearing until the MDAR took a "broader look at the issues" due to "passion and concern" on the raw milk debate.

Despite the confusion on whether or not the MDAR had backed off on the new proposed language, last Monday, over 200 citizens, including raw milk enthusiasts, dairy farmers, and Suzanne the cow, gathered on the Boston Common to protest for their right to access raw milk before the hearing at the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources.

Protesters at the rally marched to the hearing at the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture. In fact, because so many people wished to attend the hearing, some were not given access to attend, hear, see, or participate in the public hearing.

Although certain portions of 330 CMR 27 had been withdrawn, individuals were still allowed to testify about the buying club issue to Commissioner Soares, which many people did.


Over three and a half hours, 49 people testified about their passion for raw milk. Issues raised regarding section 27.08 included benefits of raw milk, the right for individuals to decide what they eat and drink, decreased access to raw milk and increased fossil fuel consumption if each consumer needs to drive long distances to the isolated dairy farms, and the economic impact of individuals losing jobs if buying clubs become outlawed. Some other issues:

• Pasteurization was invented in 1864 and was not applied to milk until years later. Prior to that, people consumed raw milk for thousands of years.
• Small dairy farms already go through rigorous inspection to ensure that the raw milk that they produce is safe (read the Massachusetts Raw Milk Laws and Regulations).
• Although the MDAR states that they support the purchase of local products from local farms, making buying clubs illegal will put many small dairy farmers in Massachusetts out of business.

Numerous raw milk enthusiasts and raw milk dairy farmers testified, and some familiar faces included Mark McAfee from Organic Pastures in California, Max Kane from Wisconsin, and David Gumpert, author of the Raw Milk Revolution and The Complete Patient.

While some individuals stated that the regulations should go back to as they were so that the buying clubs can still operate, others argued that raw milk should be made even more accessible.

In some states of the U.S., such as California, raw milk can be sold in retail stores. In other states, any sales of raw milk are considered illegal. In Massachusetts, raw milk can only be sold at the dairy farm. Check out this map. Meanwhile, in Europe, there are even raw milk vending machines.

After listening to the numerous testimonials in support of raw milk, Commissioner Soares stated that a decision would be made within 30 days, and that many of the testimonials made regarding the buying clubs would be "more applicable" at future hearings on the raw milk debate as the MDAR continues to take its "broader look" into raw milk.

In the meantime, the cease-and-desist orders still haven't been withdrawn, the buying clubs are still not allowed to operate, and small dairy farmers continue to lose money daily.

Related coverage:

• 5/18/2010 - Feed Me Like You Mean It: Boston Raw Milk Rally, Drink-In, and Hearing Wrap-Up
• 5/17/2010 - Raw Milk Advocates Call on Attorney General Coakley to Investigate MDAR Commissioner Scott Soares -Scores of Citizens Denied Access to Public Hearing on Controversial MDAR Proposal Against Raw Milk
• 5/14/2010 - The Complete Patient: When They Play Hard Ball, It's Essential We Not Play Wiffle Ball: Lessons from the MA Protest, and Spillover Continues
• 5/12/2010 - Kitchen Porch: Soares is not listening to the Small Dairies or to the People who support them!
• 5/11/2010 - Feed Me Like You Mean It: Boston Raw Milk Rally And Hearing (Guest Post By Max Kane)
• Boston.com (video): Got raw milk? Ralley on the Common touts unpasteurized variety
• 5/10/2010 - Fox 25 (article and video): Cow in Boston Common for raw milk enthusiasts - Protestors against proposed raw milk ban
• 5/10/2010 - The Complete Patient: Dozens Plead, Cajole, Argue for Hands Off Raw Milk Buying Clubs, But Commish Hears a Different Story

More Info on Raw Milk in Massachusetts:

• David Gumpert- book: Raw Milk Revolution, and blog: The Complete Patient
• Feed Me Like You Mean It - Raw Milk
• Kitchen Porch - Salute to Raw Milk
• Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA) Massachusetts Raw Milk Network
• Organic Consumers Association - Raw Milk

Massachusetts Raw Milk Hearing

*IMPORTANT UPDATE: May 8, 2010* (see below).

The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources is holding a hearing on Monday, May 10th to review a proposal that threatens Raw Milk Buying Clubs and the access to raw milk in Massachusetts.

What can you do? Become more informed about the issue by visiting some of the links below, contact your local representative, write to Commissioner Scott J. Soares, Department of Agricultural Resources, 251 Causeway Street, Boston, MA 02114, and attend the raw milk hearing on Monday, May 10th, at 10 am at 100 Cambridge St., Conference Room A, 2nd Floor, Boston, MA, 02114.

• Slow Food Boston: Raw Milk Buying Clubs Threatened
• Boston Localvores: Why this raw milk debate matters
• Feed Me Like You Mean It: Massachusetts Raw Milk/Food Freedom Hearing in Boston, May 10
• NOFA/Mass: NOFA MA Raw Milk Network and MA Raw Milk Farms Threatened as State Moves to Make Buying Clubs Illegal
• The Complete Patient: The Food Rights Firestorm Spreads: Is Big Dairy Helping Regulators Use MA as a Test to Bust Raw Milk Buying Clubs? and At a NH Restaurant, a Waitress Asks, "And How Would You Like That Milk, Raw or Pasteurized?"; MA Hypocrisy
• Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Group: Hearing on Proposed Changes to Massachusetts Raw Milk Regulations

*IMPORTANT UPDATE: May 8, 2010*:

"MDAR Drops Proposed Raw Milk Language in Favor of 'Broader Look' at Raw Milk. Marketing Agency cites 'passion and concern' associated with the issue." Read more info here and read David Gumpert's opinion on this update.

Nevertheless, the hearing will go on as scheduled (Monday, May 10th, 10 am at 100 Cambridge St., Boston), but certain provisions won't be discussed.

In addition, the Raw Milk Drink-In demonstration will still be held this Monday, May 10th, at 8:30 am on the Boston Commons near the Park St. T Station. (More info in this comment and on Facebook). Be there!

Earth Week 2010

Last week, the BU Green Groups, Sustainability@BU, and BU's Dining Services participated in Earth Week in honor of Earth Day.

Events throughout the week included Meatless Monday at lunch throughout all the dining halls, free Bike Workshops sponsored by BU Bikes, a screening of the film Earth 2100, and a compost awareness day. (In fact, BU composts much of their waste regularly to Save That Stuff. Read more about what BU Dining Services is doing about food and sustainability here).

Slow Food BU participated in the Earth Day Celebration on the GSU Plaza last Thursday with environmental groups from BU and the Boston area. This year, we teamed up with Fair Trade Boston to bring students free fair trade banana splits, made with fair trade bananas from Equal Exchange and Ben & Jerry's ice cream. Ben & Jerry's aims to expand their full product line to Fair Trade Certified ingredients by 2013 as announced in their press release.

Other groups present at the Earth Day Celebration included BU Dining Services,

BU Bikes (with bike-powered smoothies, of course!), and BU's Organic Gardening Collective, among others.

As always, Earth Day was a great success, and the students and the groups involved in Earth Week learned a lot and had a good time. We look forward to participating again next year!

April Events

There is a lot going on this month! For more details, look at our calendar.

• Wednesday, April 7th - Slow Food BU Potluck in Sargent College (635 Commonwealth Ave.), Room 218
• Throughout April - Sustainable Food Films: free film screenings throughout April thanks to Whole Foods.
• April 9-11th - Down:2:Earth - Sustainable Living Expo at the Hynes Convention Center
• Wednesday, April 14th - Screening of "The Garden" thanks to the Harvard Food Literacy Project
• Saturday, April 17th - Slow Food Founder Carlo Petrini at Tufts School of Nutrition *CANCELLED and to be rescheduled*
• Sunday, April 18th - Slow Food Founder Carlo Petrini at Harvard University *CANCELLED and to be rescheduled*
• April 19th-23rd - Earth Week at BU, with various events sponsored by us, BU, and BU's Green Groups
• April 23rd-24th - SlowFest. Check out the local food vendors that will be present.

Kombucha Demonstration and Potluck

Last week, we learned how to brew the fermented tea kombucha at our Kombucha Demonstration and Potluck co-sponsored by the Boston Localvores. The kombucha workshop was led by Annabelle Ho, an officer of Slow Food BU and author of Kombucha Fuel.

Thanks to everyone who attended, and read the recap of the event at the Urban Homesteaders' League, written by Annabelle:

"Last week there was a Kombucha Demonstration and Potluck put on by Slow Food BU, the Boston Localvores, and Kombucha Fuel, a blog of which I am the author. Thanks to the Urban Homesteaders’ League for supporting this event!

Kombucha, sometimes referred to as 'the elixir of immortality,' is a fermented tea traced back to Chinese origins to around 220 B.C. Various health benefits have been attributed to kombucha, which is said to have probiotic benefits and detoxifying effects. It’s been claimed that kombucha reduces blood pressure, boosts the immune system, and even cures cancer..."

Read the rest of the post here.

*Special thanks to Darry Madden of the Boston Localvores for taking some great photos of this event.*

Sustainable Foods Video

Watch this Sustainable Foods Video by Anna Webster featuring JJ Gonson from Cuisine en Locale, Claire Kozower from Waltham Fields Community Farm, and Annabelle Ho from Slow Food BU.

"Two Angry Moms" with Slow Food Boston

Last week, Slow Food BU hosted a film screening of Two Angry Moms with Slow Food Boston.

Two Angry Moms is a documentary following filmmaker and mother Amy Kalafa, who searches for schools that offer healthier school lunches. Susan Rubin of Better School Food is the other "angry mom" in the documentary, and the film shows the efforts of Susan and other leaders in the movement to improve school lunches. The film offers steps for those interested in improving the quality of food in children's schools, such as:

1. Have lunch with your child in the school cafeteria
2. Join a committee or coalition
3. Survey your district
4. Read your contracts
5. Market your new program

Read the more detailed action plan here.

After the film, Alex Loud of Slow Food Boston spoke about Slow Food's Time for Lunch Campaign. The Child Nutrition Act is a federal law that was created in order to help meet the nutritional needs of children in the National School Lunch Program. Because the Child Nutrition Act is reauthorized every five years and is planned to be reviewed by Congress in early 2010, it is the perfect time and opportunity to make change. Currently, Congress allots $2.68 per school lunch, with $1 allotted towards ingredients. Only 20¢ of that $1 is devoted to fruits and vegetables, which simply isn't enough to provide children the real food that they need. If you are concerned about this issue or would like to become more involved, look at Slow Food's Time for Lunch Campaign.

A panel discussion followed, featuring JJ Gonson of Cuisine en Locale, Claire Kozower of Waltham Fields Community Farm, and Kim Szeto of the Farm to School Initiative.

Claire discussed some of her previous involvement with the Farm to School Initiative in Somerville. In Somerville, children only have 12 minutes to eat lunch. 12 minutes is hardly enough time to eat lunch, much less enjoy it. It is because of this short lunch time that they found that children ate more apples and left less waste when the apples were small- children simply do not have enough time to eat a large apple during lunch. These small apples are now provided to the public schools in Somerville, Cambridge, and Boston, and are locally sourced from Lanni Orchards based in Lunenburg, MA.

Kim is involved with the Farm to School Initiative in the Boston Public Schools. Despite the mere 20¢ devoted to fruits and vegetables per meal in school lunch, they have found that buying local is sometimes cheaper, and they have been able to serve local and seasonal produce including corn on the cob, collard greens, sweet potatoes, and butternut squash.

JJ, involved in Cambridge's Healthy Service Task Force Food Advisory Board, provided a parent's perspective on the issue.

• Because the 12 Cambridge schools feed thousands of kids a day, commodity products are extremely important in controlling costs. Commodity products are provided for free to schools, because they are excess products available from the government as a result of agribusiness subsidies. However, one needs to question the health implications of these commodity products, such as tuna, which poses health risks for children due to the mercury levels in tuna and the potential health risks from the can linings.
• The classic yet deceptively innocent PB & J sandwich has its health implications as well. The bread and peanut butter contain hydrogenated oils, the peanut butter and jelly contain high fructose corn syrup, and the jelly contains unnatural colorings.
• Schools are not allowed to serve water because it has "no nutritional value." Schools typically only offer milk, chocolate milk, and apple juice.
  
• Read more about what JJ has to say on school lunches here.

All three acknowledged how significant Lanni Orchards has been in providing local produce to public schools within the area.

Although there is a lot that needs to change in the school food system, there are many ways to become more informed and to become more involved. Here are a few resources to get you started:

• Find more ways to become active at the Two Angry Moms site and review their action plan
  
• Better School Food
• Slow Food's Time for Lunch Campaign
• The School Nutrition Bill (H2092) and the Local Farm Products Bill (H2107/S1437) were recently passed by the House of Representatives in MA. However, these bills still need to be passed by the Senate. Read the article on the passage of these bills, and keep updated and find out more about what you can do through the Massachusetts Public Health Association

For another recap of this event, read Slow Food Boston's followup.