E. coli cases are on the rise in the United States, and the internet rightfully blames RFK Jr.
The FDA has linked 7 new cases of E. coli to cheese made with raw milk — RFK Jr.’s apparent drink of choice. The United States Secretary of Health and Human Services has a long history of supporting unpasteurized dairy products, and even took a shot of the stuff with wellness influencer Paul Saladino while inside the White House. Consuming raw milk is highly dangerous, and while science-skeptics like Salandino and RFK Jr. might be convinced otherwise, the internet doesn’t believe the unpasturized hype.
Absolutely nothing. As one user points out, the pasturization process is one of the simplest and safest food processing methods in existence. “I can not understand what the big deal is with pasteurization? It’s literally just heating milk for a set time then rapidly cooling it No chemicals, no high tech equipment, it’s just heated milk.” It literally is that simple. Heat the milk. Kill the germs. Drink the result.
Another user agrees, pointing to the legacy of Louis Pasteur — the French scientist for whom the process is named. Pasteurization is a”breakthrough that nearly eliminated milk-borne diseases,” they wrote, accompanied by a picture of the scientist himself looking dourly down from the heavens with the caption “Louis Pasteur watching people raw dog their milk.” Like vaccines, the pasteurization process was one of the most significant scientific achievements of the 19th century. RFK Jr. has been wrongfully critical of both and has even petitioned for the polio vaccine’s approval to be revoked.
Why is the raw milk thing still…a thing?
Despite well-documented evidence to the contrary, some people in the comments sections are swallowing RFK Jr.’s misinformation like milk raw from the udder. In a lengthy rant, one user claimed that criticizing his choice to drink raw milk infringes upon his rights.
“I don’t need permission to choose what I eat,” he fumed. “I drink raw milk from a cow I know, on a farm I trust… Not because I’m reckless. Because I’m free.” Give the government-funded, science-backed institutions control over food processing regulations, he argues, and suddenly American freedoms are at risk. No one is stopping him from sipping straight from the still-mooing source, but saying that it’s healthy to do so? You’re not fooling anyone.
“Do you cook breast milk before feeding a baby?” asks another pasteurization skeptic, putting ignorance on full display. For obvious reasons, it’s a false comparison. Bacteria gets into the milk after it comes out of the cow; it doesn’t come from inside the cow itself. If you left a cup of breast milk on the counter for a day, it would become contaminated with bacteria; that’s why people put milk of all sorts in the fridge. Maybe this guy doesn’t? Again, no one is stopping you from drinking left-out mammal juice on your own time, but don’t try to mass-market it.
Humans can consume raw milk like you can eat a whole pizza out of the dumpster — it doesn’t mean it’s healthy. Of the 7 people infected with E. coli, three were young children. Two people were hospitalized. While the uninformed tout the benefits of raw dairy, the rest of us will drink our 2% as is.
(featured image: Wikimedia Commons)
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