Some thoughts on regulations...

[Guest guest]

Hi Ramit,

>>>3- How do you address concerns about E. Coli? (Someone brought Odwalla up

again today). How do you protect safety when there *are* unethical

businesses that aren't hygienic? That may bring about a comparison to

European methods?

***Grain-fed cows are the ones producing the most dagerous acid-resistant

e.coli bacteria (especially O157:H7), due to an unnaturally (for cows)

acidic stomach pH, resulting from high protein grain diets. Stick to grass-

and hay-fed raw milk, keep your gut's beneficial bacterial colonies healthy,

and you should be fine.

http://www.eatwild.com/human_nutrition1.htm

The deadliest form of E. Coli is more common than originally thought.

Fortunately, grassfed animals are much less likely to transmit the disease.

A study in the March 28th, 2000 issue of the Proceedings of the National

Academy of Sciences reports that as many as one out of every three cattle

may play host to the deadliest strain of E. coli bacteria ( 0157:H) This

is ten times higher than earlier estimates.

As explained in more detail in Why Grassfed Is Best!, feeding cattle their

natural diet of grass instead of grain greatly reduces the risk of disease

transmission. Why? First, it keeps the overall bacteria count low.

Second, it prevents the bacteria from becoming acid resistant.

Acid-resistant bacteria are far more likely to survive the acidity of our

normal digestive juices and cause disease. The first graph below

illustrates the absolute numbers of E.Coli bacteria found in grassfed versus

grainfed animals. The second graph shows how many of the bacteria are

likely to withstand our gastric juices. (Note: Grassfed animals have so few

acid-resistant bacteria that the number fails to register on the scale of

the graph.)

You should still take the normal precautions when handling and cooking

grassfed meat, however. As few as ten E.Coli bacteria can cause disease in

people with weakened immune systems.

(Diez-, F., et al. (1998). " Grain-feeding and the dissemination of

acid-resistant Escherichia coli from Cattle. " Science 281, 1666-8.)

***Suze's note: scroll down to the middle of the page to see the graphs that

accompany this abstract - words can't adequately paint a picture of the

stark difference in e.coli numbers between pastured and grain fed cattle.

e-coli count:

grain-fed: 6,300,000

grass-fed: 2000

number of e-coli that would likely survive in our digestive tract:

grain-fed: 250,000

grass-fed: too few to register on graph

There are no typos here - these are the numbers.

-----------------------------------

http://www.news.cornell.edu/releases/Sept98/acid.relief.hrs.html

Acid relief for O157:H7

Simple change in cattle diets could cut E. coli infection, USDA and Cornell

scientists report

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The study referenced above:

http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:sHx25S39AKEC:www.fsci.umn.edu/Francisco

_Diez/science.pdf+Grain-feeding+and+the+dissemination+of+acid-resistant+Esch

erichia+coli+from+Cattle & hl=en

Grain Feeding and the Dissemination of Acid-Resistant Escherichia coli from

Cattle

-----------------------------------

http://www.google.com/search?q=cache:LTHEIwHeMjkC:www.sciencenews.org/sn_arc

98/9_19_98/Food.htm+human+stomach+acid+pH & hl=en

Hay! What a way to fight E coli

Suze Fisher

Web Design & Development

http://www.suscom-maine.net/~cfisher/

mailto:cfisher@...