Unlike some of my friends, and many foodies I know, I’m not a fan of raw milk. Raw milk cheese, I like and will eat sometimes, but drinking raw milk is not a risk I’m willing to take. Mother Jones magazine writes:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reportsthat of 239 hospitalizations caused by tainted dairy products from 1993 through 2006, 202 involved raw milk or raw-milk cheese. Nearly two-thirds of the patients were younger than 20. “Parents go to raw milk because they hear it’s good for kids’ allergies,” says Michele Jay-Russell, a veterinarian and food safety specialist at the University of California-Davis who has studied the outbreaks. But children’s developing immune systems are more vulnerable than those of adults. “They end up sickening their kids,” Jay-Russell adds.

The writer, Kiera Butler, adds:

I finally kicked my habit after reading of a woman about my age who was paralyzed after drinking raw milk tainted with campylobacter. Much as I’ll miss that creamy goodness, I’ll just say no next time someone offers the illicit nectar. And not to get all Nancy Reagan on you, but given the evidence, I’d never give it to a child. “Our family learned the hard way,” says Chris Martin’s mom. “I just want to put our story out there so another family doesn’t have to go through it.”

Chris Martin acquired an E. coli infection from raw milk when he was 7 years old. He nearly died. He’s off dialysis now, but doctors aren’t sure if his kidneys will ever recover. Crunchy-con bona fides aside, I can’t see the up side of taking those risks.

In other news, I don’t believe vaccines cause autism. (Ducking and running…).