The local food movement has taken root and is steadily growing. Part of this movement is focused on raw products which have more nutrients, bacteria, and/or enzymes our bodies need. For example, raw milk contains the enzyme "lactase" which breaks down "lactose". It's kind of one of those things nature has provided us for free. To be clear there are some risks with raw products, but if handled correctly these risks are minimized.
Highly industrialized food systems try to minimize these risks as well, however, in doing so they also minimize the nutritional benefits. In the past month alone, we have seen 36 million pounds of ground turkey, 60,000 pounds of ground beef, and 8,000 pounds of smoked salmon recalled. Simply put, the claims of a safer food through industrialization aren't being realized. Here are the links to these outbreaks:
http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2011/08/03/36-million-pounds-of-ground-turkey-recalled-after-salmonella-outbreak/?iref=allsearch
http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2011/08/15/ground-beef-recalled-on-e-coli-concerns/?iref=allsearch
http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/08/27/salmon.recall/index.html?iref=allsearch
What is crazy here is that raw milk is actually illegal. Food policy around the subject is not favorable for small farmers, or communities. This has huge implications for the most recent form of New Urbanism, called Agrarian Urbanism. Quite simply, Agrarian Urbanism is illegall. Maybe this is part of the reason we haven't seen an Agrarian Urbanism site yet.
The following is a link to a story and short video clip of a raid in CA. A SWAT team was brought in to shut down a small market selling raw food. This isn't the first time raids have happened, but really? A SWAT team? The owner's bail has been set at $125,000, which according to the story is more than a rapist in LA.
http://wholenewmom.com/reaching-out/swat-team-invades-raw-milk-farm-arrests-3-dumps-safe-milk/
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