Milk And Unpasteurization Of Milk

Milk is a commodity many people consume daily. Canada has come a long way in milk processing, from drinking it unpasteurized in the past to the present where many Canadians take the availability of safe milk for granted. Unpasteurized or raw milk can cause food poisoning and lead to serious conditions including fever, vomiting, diarrhea, kidney failure, or even death, as a result of exposure to pathogens such as salmonella, E. coli, listeriosis, and tuberculosis. (Government of Canada) For example, in 1927, a typhoid epidemic caused by contaminated milk affected more than 5,000 people and caused 533 deaths in Montreal. In 1931, there was a similar outbreak in Ontario with 457 cases and 3 deaths. (Weir E, Mitchell J, Reballato S, Fortuna D) After pasteurization

There are other potential chemical contaminations such as antibiotics, growth hormones and other veterinary drug residues that can enter milk through dairy cattle, agricultural practices, or industrial pollution. (Fischer W, Schilter B, Tritscher A, Stadler R) Moreover, pasteurization does not alter the presence of chemical contaminants in milk, and chemical contamination can not completely prevented or eliminated from milk. However, reducing chemical contaminants is very important. Canada does a great job of this; regardless of whether it’s organic or conventional milk, if a dairy cow is given antibiotics, she is temporarily removed from producing milk until she has recovered and antibiotics have cleared her body. (Dairy Nutrition) Furthermore, no Canadian milks contain steroids or growth hormones. Since Canada has already achieved the goal of safe milk, the government can continue to make efforts to improve the quality of health of food and drinks that are offered to citizens in order to ensure a healthy