Making supper “safe” — or “sterile”?

From Ben Hewitt, guest posting on The Complete Patient blog:

“…On June 7, Rodale will publish my book Making Supper Safe: One Man’s Search for the Truth About Food Safety. I’d originally thought the book would be about the pathogenic bacteria that often contaminate our food, and what needs to be done to ensure consumer safety. To a certain extent, this is still true. But as I got deeper into my reporting, I became intrigued by the interplay between human life, the bacteria that inhabit us, and the bacteria we encounter on a daily basis, both in our food and otherwise. The following excerpt, which David has kindly offered to post, is from one of the chapters that explore this issue. Thank you for reading. – Ben Hewitt

Genetically modified cows produce milk closer in composition to human milk

From Science Correspondent Richard Gray at The Telegraph (a U.K. paper):

Scientists have created genetically modified cattle that produce “human” milk in a bid to make cows’ milk more nutritious.

The scientists have successfully introduced human genes into 300 dairy cows to produce milk with the same properties as human breast milk.

Human milk contains high quantities of key nutrients that can help to boost the immune system of babies and reduce the risk of infections.

The scientists behind the research believe milk from herds of genetically modified cows could provide an alternative to human breast milk and formula milk for babies, which is often criticised as being an inferior substitute.

They hope genetically modified dairy products from herds of similar cows could be sold in supermarkets. The research has the backing of a major biotechnology company.

Raw milk question from an eco-village

Bovine reader Jason Barber writes in with a question:

I have a question that i have been unable to find a solution for by searching the internet. I live and work at O.U.R ecovillage on Vancouver island. The ecovillage is a sustainable demonstration site. So needless to say we have a lot of visitors. We’ve had a cow for the last two months and now that visitor season is coming into full swing I’m wanting to protect the visitors and our own butts from legal action stemming from the consumption of raw milk.  We see two options: have all visitors sign a wavier saying that they understand the risks associated with drinking raw milk; or, have every visitor pay a $1 cow share fee and also sign a waiver.

Lunatic farmer Joel Salatin in B.C.

From Randy Shore at the Vancouver Sun:

Farmer Joel Salatin spoke to a Vancouver audience last month. Photo via Vancouver Sun.

While the world reels from global oil shock and rising food prices, the time is ripe to revolutionize the way we produce food and local food systems, according to evangelizing farmer Joel Salatin.

Dubbed the High Priest of the Pasture by the New York Times, Salatin says the notion that local food is the sole province of foodies and the rich is outdated and possibly dangerous to our survival.