Organic Pastures raw milk now cleared for sale after a month waiting in limbo

From re:Nourishment.org:

Organic Pastures -- outstanding in their field? Photo via re:Nourishment.org

“After a month of testing, frustration and waiting, Organic Pastures Dairy filed an emergency injunctive relief petition with the Fresno County Superior Court, along with all of the test results supporting the petition. Three hours later, the ban was finally lifted from Organic Pastures products!

Raw milk vending machines in the U.K.

From The Guardian:

Click image to go to story in The Guardian.

“A major London department store is giving consumers the chance to buy unpasteurised milk, despite the government food watchdog’s claim that the move is illegal on public health grounds.

Lawyer Shawn Buckley talks about Michael Schmidt and his campaign for raw milk and food freedom

Gordon Watson sues Fraser Health over attempts to shut down “Our Cows” raw milk farm in Chilliwack, B.C.

From Randy Shore, in the Vancouver Sun:

“Raw milk activist Gordon Watson has filed a civil lawsuit against the Fraser and Vancouver Coastal health authorities and their officers, alleging they exceeded their authority by acting to shut down the Home on the Range dairy in Chilliwack.

“The main thing is to make civil servants accountable,” said Watson, a founder of the dairy now operating as Our Cows.

He alleges in the suit filed this week that the health authorities acted against the dairy with no evidence that it was a threat to public health, destroyed his property (the milk) and acted beyond their authority.

Internal documents show USDA diet guidelines panel dominated by group sponsored by big food companies

From Kimberly Hartke:

Washington, DC–December 15, 2011–Under pressure from the Healthy Nation Coalition, the USDA recently revealed the identities of the 2010 Dietary Guidelines “Independent Scientific Review Panel,” which is credited with peer-reviewing the Guidelines to ensure they are based on the preponderance of the scientific evidence available. Seven out of the eight panel members are Registered Dietitians (RDs), chosen according to the USDA, “for their knowledge in nutrition communication and dietary guidance.”

At the same time, RDs across America are reeling from the news that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will not reimburse them to provide intensive behavioral counseling for obesity. While the Federal government appears to be relying on RDs as experts in the midst of America’s obesity crisis, it doesn’t want to pay them to help people lose weight.  This news comes as the American Dietetic Association (ADA)—the professional organization for RDs—is under scrutiny for its ties to food and pharmaceutical industries.