CALIFORNIA: Lawmakers OK exception for raw milk – (Bee Capitol Bureau)

SACRAMENTO — State lawmakers have given final approval to a bill that would allow raw milk dairies to bypass a new bacteria standard that treats raw milk like pasteurized milk.
Senate Bill 201 — passed by the Senate during the weekend — has drawn support from a Kerman dairy and some raw milk drinkers who say the state’s limit of 10 coliform bacteria per milliliter devalues raw milk. Many consumers like the “helpful” bacteria in raw milk, saying it aids digestion and keeps sickness away.
High coliform counts do not indicate that milk is tainted with harmful pathogens. But regulators say coliform testing measures cleanliness — and dirty dairies are more likely to harbor harmful bacteria.
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http://www.extension.iastate.edu/foodsafety/news/fsnews.cfm?newsid=28547