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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- A House committee has endorsed legislation that would allow consumers to buy raw -- unpasteurized -- milk in stores.
HB69, sponsored by rancher Brad Johnson, R-Aurora, would supersede the state law that restricts the sale of raw milk to the four Utah dairy farms that produce it.
Under his bill, raw milk meeting certain standards could be sold and distributed to retailers.
Supporters of the bill include parents of lactose-intolerant children and organic-food retailers.
They say it eliminates unfair obstacles in trying to purchase raw milk.
Opponents, who include the Utah Dairymen's Association, fear the outcry if raw milk failed to meet requirements but still slipped through to consumers and made them sick.
"This bill allows reasonable access and choice to this product if it meets standards," said Johnson. "It would allow the 20 percent of the population that is lactose intolerant with a choice."
Kathleen Bush, a registered nurse and the mother of a child with an allergic reaction to pasteurized milk, told legislators that her son's health and growth improved with the addition of raw milk to his diet.
"The problem I've had is one of access," she said. "I've driven two hours over country roads for raw milk. But I'm a city girl. I'd just as soon pick it up at a store.
But dairy farmer and state Rep. Craig Buttars, R-Lewiston. said, "If we pass this, we open up a risk to the whole industry because the media won't differentiate it as raw milk. All that consumers will hear is that it is milk, which could decrease demand for the product."
The Utah Department of Health has expressed some reservations, but also recognized that there is a legitimate demand for raw milk.
"There are people who want to buy this product, and want to buy it in the safest possible way," said Teresa Garrett, director of the health department's division of epidemiology and laboratory services.
The Utah Public Health Association has opposed the bill, citing safety concerns and the costs that could be borne by local health organizations should illnesses ensue and testing is required.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
