The Milk Producer - July 2010 - (Page 8)

DAIRYUPDATE Support withdrawn DFO no longer sponsoring Ontario Cheese Society over raw cheese endorsement he Ontario Cheese Society’s (OCS) endorsement of raw milk advocate, Michael Schmidt, has caused Dairy Farmers of Ontario (DFO) to withdraw its support. “It is unconscionable that the OCS continues to endorse, and even promote, the consumption of raw milk by consumers,” says Dave Nolan, DFO’s marketing logistics director. He and Wray Krompart, DFO’s marketing manager, sent letters to OCS chairman, Gurth Pretty, citing DFO’s concerns. The Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General is currently appealing a lower court ruling that acquitted Schmidt on 19 charges relating to the unlicensed processing, sale and distribution of unpasteurized milk and dairy products. Raw milk sale is illegal in Canada. An article, written by Schmidt, was published in the OCS’s spring newsletter promoting raw milk sales to consumers. Unpasteurized milk poses a significant food safety hazard and, according to Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Canadians should not drink raw, unpasteurized milk. Because of these health concerns, Food and Drug Regulations require all milk available for sale in Canada be pasteurized. Pasteurization kills the organisms that cause disease while keeping milk’s nutritional pro8 | July 2010 | MilkPRODUCER T Consumers expect the foods they consume to be safe and nutritious, says Wray Krompart, DFO’s marketing manager. perties intact. As well, pasteurized milk contains many nutrients essential for good health, including protein, calcium and added vitamin D. Provincial and national laws requiring milk pasteurization are vital to preventing communicable disease spread. At a time when all other public health developments are focusing on the critical task of continuing to improve food safety and public health, actions that put public health at increased risk are not in the public interest, according to a DFO statement. DFO has been supportive of the organization’s original purpose and vision, mainly to promote artisan, farmstead and regional cheeses, and grow the industry. It was created in 2004 and currently has 140 members. Nolan feels the OCS has migrated from its original vision by letting individuals use the organization to promote unsafe dairy product consumption. Nolan and Krompart expressed deep disappointment in the organization’s actions. “The fact that an individual is a member of an organization should not permit that individual to actively promote illegal activities,” says Krompart, who resigned as an OCS director. “In Canada, if you do not agree with a law, there are correct and proper ways to go about changing those laws. Mr. Schmidt’s activities have certainly not followed this process.” The Canadian dairy industry is proud of its record of producing and marketing healthy, safe dairy products, says Krompart. “Consumers have come to expect certain basic principles with respect to the foods that they consume; in particular, they expect them to be safe and nutritious,” he says.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Milk Producer - July 2010

The Milk Producer - July 2010
Contents
Editor's Notes
DFO Chair’s Message
Diary Update
DFO
National Policy
DFC Promotion
Thrill of the Grill
Farm Finance
Foundation for Our Future
Agriculture Minister’s Message
General Manger’s Message
Overview
Then and Now:
Notable Quotes:
Grant Smith
Gordon Coukell
Peter Oosterhoff
Vera Mitchell
Bill Simpson
Lew Dunk
Albert Gauthier
Gary Marshall
Stuart Steckle
Tom Kane
Pat McManus
Research
Applied Science
Ruminations
Markets
New’N’Noted
Back Forty

The Milk Producer - July 2010