Got Free Choice? UPDATED!

I know, another rare double-posting day for me, but I just got home from the raw milk hearing down at the State Farmers Market and something is disturbing me.

In case you haven't been following this story, raw milk (unpasteurized milk straight from the farm) is allowed to be sold to consumers in the state of Georgia if it is prominently labeled "Raw Milk--Not for Human Consumption. This product has not been pasteurized and may contain harmful bacteria." The Georgia Department of Agriculture claims that consumers say they are confusing raw milk for pasteurized milk (what consumers, I don't know, because searching out this milk and actually getting it into your grubby little paws is like doing a drug deal in a parking lot. It is very intentional) so it has proposed a rule change to require a black dye to be added to the milk to "decharacterize" it (what on earth is that supposed to mean?!) The raw milk enthusiasts (of which there are many) went up in arms when they heard this, and public outcry led to the calling of this public hearing.

So I go there, where person after person gets up to talk to a panel of three from the ag department (no Commissioner Tommy Irvin, even though he supposedly called this hearing). Farmers who own cows, goats, pigs and chickens (chickens apparently love this stuff); nurses, doctors, a skin care marketer (a growing number of cancer patients and those with eczema and skin allergies apparently swear by skin care products made with raw milk), pet owners, consumers, even the owner of champion show dogs, all poured their hearts out. One woman even brought a jar of charcoal-colored liquid to show just what this dyed milk would look like. You want to drink that? You want to give that to your pets or make skin lotion out of it? I don't think so.

Person after person said that if that black dye is added, they are going over the border to South Carolina for their raw milk because they are not going to use a pure, natural product that has been adulterated with an additive. Period. An eight-month pregnant woman in tears begged, "Please don't make a very pregnant woman drive to South Carolina for milk for my dog!" Alice Rolls even said that although she is the director of Georgia Organics, she wishes she were the director of the South Carolina Department of Tourism and Trade today.

And then Chad the Milk Man stood up. Chad owns the farm that his family has been farming since 1946. Although he has diversified the farm to include a strong agritourism component (you can still catch the corn maze this season!), the bulk of his income is through the fresh, raw milk of his grass-fed Jersey cows. In his characteristically humble yet strong voice, Chad read from a crinkled piece of paper he gripped in his hands.

"In just the past 30 years, Georgia has lost 3,729 dairy farms," he said to a silent room. "If this rule is passed, that number will be 3,730."

When he was done (interestingly, he reminded us of how the Supreme Court shot down a decision to dye margarine pink back in 1902), the members of the crowd shot to their feet in thunderous applause of support, and yes, I can tell you that I was not alone in shedding a tear.

Someone else asked, "Where is the press? Where are the TV stations? This is no small thing." The story is being covered, yes, but its coverage is limited because I was told that it is a topic important only to a niche crowd.

And that's the part that disturbed me. From what I understand, Tommy Irvin apparently said that the black dye was being considered because there is concern about how the raw milk is being used in people's homes (which I'm guessing is code for 'consumed by humans,' for which it is not approved). Well, you see those chocolate chip cookies up there in my photo? Guess what? The batter had raw egg in it, and . . . I ate some. Even though it's recommended that people don't eat raw egg. What's next, the Cookie Police? My mom sometimes eats hamburger that's cooked rare. Should we report her? Even Alice Waters, the denizen of local foods who is currently touring the country touting her new cookbook, likes to make aioli with raw eggs. Should that be a crime? Where does it stop? This raw milk issue isn't only about raw milk. It's about a citizen's ability to make his or her own informed decisions, especially in the privacy of his or her own home. And if you don't drink raw milk (or even know about it), you may want to pay more attention. Because governmental intervention into private matters is a slippery slope.

As for those folks who are apparently confused about the current raw milk label and pressured the ag department to make a change? They weren't there. Not one. My guess? They don't exist.

Want to know what's happening with raw milk in your state or country? Click here.

UPDATE: Just heard from Chad. Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Tommy Irvin has decided to drop the dye proposal.