BOWIE, Md. - There is a small but growing number of Americans who want to turn back the clock to the days before Pasteurized milk.

They argue the process that health officials credit for making milk safe may actually do more harm then good, and now some lawmakers are listening. The Maryland legislature has scheduled hearings on legalizing the sale of raw milk for Tuesday.

Bowie resident Liz Reitzig goes to great lengths to get her four children what she calls "real" milk, driving more than two hours to a Pennsylvania dairy farm to buy gallons of raw milk.

"We really like it," she said. "We really like the taste, the quality; we know the place its coming from, I really like having that connection. The kids thrive on it."

Reitzig is part of a growing movement touting raw milk. while its currently illegal to sell in Maryland, there are now two bills before the state legislature to change that. about half the states, including Virginia, allow its sale in some form.

Supporters argue raw milk has immune system-boosting bacteria that's killed during pasteurization, and they are willing to pay $6 a gallon for it. That's up to four times what a dairy farmer gets for conventional milk.

"I'd love to support a Maryland farmer and see a Maryland farm thriving and what's happening is the thousands of Maryland raw milk drinkers who are going to Pennsylvania for milk," said Reitzig.

According to fourth generation dairy farmer Bobby Prigel, "It can be the difference of a farm staying in business or not."

Prigel has watched the number of Maryland dairy farms dwindle and believes legalizing raw milk sales could save the family farm.

Related Web sites

» FDA's Raw Milk Safety

» FDA's Raw Milk Safety

» FDA's Raw Milk Dangers

» FDA's Raw Milk Risks

» FDA's Raw Milk Q&A

» realmilk.com

» raw-milk-facts.com

"The family farm cannot compete with the 20, 30,000-cow dairies out in the west," he said. "We have to have access to the consumer, be able to present our products to the consumer. This is one way the dairy farmer can survive."

While the raw milk movement is far from extreme, its proponents are adamant raw milk is safe, but it has some significant detractors, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, and the World Health Organization.

Ted Elkin, Maryland's deputy director for food protection, thinks raw milk drinkers are "playing Russian roulette".

He warns raw milk can contain salmonella, lysteria, even E.coli, and has made people sick.  "Raw milk is a dangerous, inherently dangerous product to consume," he said.

Despite the warnings, Reitzig believes the raw milk her children drink is safe and is doing their bodies good.

 Email To Friend