Emerging health issues and their global impact

¶ … Health Issue in Florida

In August 2009, the Herald Tribune reported that consumption of raw milk by Consumers in Florida are increasing. It provided that said inclination of consumers are due to the raw milk's beneficial effect to health like cure of eczema, aches, stomach upsets and even lactose intolerance. Ron Schmid, a licensed naturopathic physician, supported this claim by stating that his long-standing intractable illness disappeared after shifting to a diet of fresh, locally produced foods and raw milk. Along with Schmid is the Weston a. Price Foundation advocating for the intake of unprocessed food yields and supporting the consumption of raw milk by its "A Campaign for Real Milk" drive.

Florida is the 27th State in America. It has an estimated population of 18,328,340 in 2008 and it reported that its' Agriculture sector as one of its economic pillars. This sector reportedly produced of 75% of the country's demand for oranges and 40% of the world's need for orange juice.

Milk is one of the goods that the agricultural sector of Florida is producing.

The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is regulating milk production in the State of Florida. Through its' Dairy Division, a statistical data of 143 farms with about 840 cows each were reported in 2009. From these cows, 5.5 gallons of milk are produced each day which amounts to about 17, 200 pounds in one year.

The Herald Tribune reported that the increasing Florida consumer preference for raw milk is because of their inclination to eat organic food for its benefits. It further reported that according their interviewees, raw milk is being claimed to be more nutritious than the pasteurized ones. Pasteurization is the heating of raw milk for a required number of minutes to destroy possibly harmful microorganisms in the liquid. Although Valente Alvarez and Francisco Rabell reported that milk from a healthy cow is relatively safe because of its minimal bacteria, milk is still very susceptible to acquiring pathogens during the handling and preparation process.

Currently, the Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO) is governing the production; processing, packaging and sale of Grade a milk and milk products in Florida. This ordinance was designed in 1927 to prevent milk borne diseases in the population. Although it had undergone revisions, its Section 9 still stated that "only Grade a pasteurized, ultra-pasteurized or aseptically processed milk shall be sold to consumers."

Aside from the PMO, the State of Florida also provided in their "Guideline for Mobile Food Establishments that, "raw milk shall not be sold for human consumption."

Despite the above rules, consumers in Florida are still take raw milk in their diet. The web site realmilk.com reported that the PMO's section 9 could be over ridden by a State through Statutes and implementing rules if said ordinance comes in conflict with State interests. The Herald Tribune also provided that consumers get away with taking raw milk by purchasing ones that are packaged for pets. Small farm owners also get to avoid the law by directly selling their cow milk to neighbours and other willing consumers.