The Complete Patient

Proponents of raw milk are finally getting a little help in the political process. It's a small step, but Sen Carl Levin has written to the federal Food and Drug Administration demanding information about its role in the Family Foods Cooperative investigation. (The web site familyfarmscoop.com first posted the letter.)

As I have reported previously, agents from the FDA twice visited the Amish-owned Indiana farm that produces the raw milk for the co-op as part of a cow-sharing arrangement. The FDA hasn't yet provided any details of its investigation, but clearly it became involved because of the interstate arrangement whereby the milk is transported from Indiana to Michigan.

Sen. Levin's letter focuses on the cow sharing arrangement, suggesting he may have information that that is the FDA's focus. The letter notes that "the cow share agreement is a private contract where FFC members paid for the boarding, care, and milking of a cow that produces raw milk."

He wonders whether the FDA has previously investigated cow share arrangements, and concludes by questioning whether there are "provisions under FDA regulations that allow citizens to purchase and consume raw milk." I can't wait to see the FDA's answers to these questions. I suspect Sen. Levin is going to learn a lot about raw milk, perhaps more than he wants to know.