Mark McAfee, the prominent California raw milk producer embroiled in several bird flu-related product recalls, has revealed that a transition team for Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has urged him to seek a position within the Food and Drug Administration.
McAfee, the CEO of Fresno-based Raw Farm, LLC, has responded positively to this request, applying for the role of FDA advisor on raw milk policy and standards development.
According to American Military News, the recent recalls of raw milk were triggered by positive tests for H5N1 bird flu among McAfees cows. Consequently, his farms have been quarantined, and the state has halted all sales of raw milk and cream. Raw Farm has voluntarily recalled all remaining milk and cream products from stores. McAfee's farm is also implicated in at least 11 lawsuits following a salmonella outbreak that infected 171 people in California between October of last year and May of this year, as reported by Bill Marler, a Seattle-area food safety lawyer.
In a surprising move last month, President-elect Donald Trump announced his choice of Kennedy to head the U.S. Health and Human Services Department, which supervises the FDA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and other agencies. Kennedy, a staunch advocate for raw milk, has openly criticized the FDA policy that prohibits interstate sales of the product. McAfee has stated that Kennedy is not only a supporter but also a consumer and customer of Raw Farm milk.
However, McAfee clarified that he has not officially been selected for the advisory role. Kennedys nomination as HHS director still awaits confirmation by the U.S. Senate. The Times has attempted to contact the Trump transition team and Kennedys Make America Healthy Again teams for comment, but has yet to receive a response.
McAfee, the nation's largest producer of raw milk, manages 1,800 dairy cows on two farms one in Fresno, the other outside Hanford. His raw milk products, including whole milk, cream, kefir, and cheese, can be sold in stores in California, but not across state lines. However, his pet food product line, which can be sold outside California, is exempt from FDA regulations, although it carries warning labels indicating that the products are not intended for human consumption.
In addition to his other roles, McAfee serves as president of the Raw Milk Institute, an organization dedicated to educating and advocating for dairy farmers interested in adopting standards and methods for raw milk production. In a recent interview with The Times, McAfee expressed his enthusiasm for Kennedy's potential to change the FDAs policy on raw milk, but emphasized the need for careful implementation.
Im dedicated to making sure that whatever happens, it is not chaotic, crazy, or just a free for all, but rather very constructive with farmer training and testing and high standards, he said. Im very interested in committing myself to helping raw milk emerge as a constructive, high standards, healthy, wonderful, germinating, delicious food.
McAfee recalled how, in 2021, Montana lawmakers passed a food freedom law that legalized the unregulated sale of raw milk and raw milk products, leading to a spate of illnesses. In response, McAfee met with raw milk dairy producers and helped them establish standards that incorporated training, testing, and quality control.
McAfee's milk is subject to stringent regulation by the state of California, which conducts regular testing for foodborne pathogens such as campylobacter, cryptosporidium, listeria, brucella, and salmonella in his milk. Unlike conventional dairies where milk is pasteurized after collection, McAfee is required to test the cows for pathogens, and he only milks disease-free cows.
Despite these precautions, experts warn that bacteria can still contaminate milk, even when obtained from a perfectly clean udder. The FDA, CDC, and other health agencies recommend that the public should only consume pasteurized milk.
Since 2006, Raw Farm, formerly known as Organic Pastures Dairy Company, has been involved in 13 recalls, including three bird flu-related ones from last month. The other recalls were due to bacterial contamination, including listeria, campylobacteria, and salmonella. In some instances, people became severely ill with hemolytic uremic syndrome, or kidney failure.
When asked about the possibility of McAfee being appointed to a federal food advisory role, Marler, the food safety attorney, responded with a dismissive: Clown Car.
If selected for an advisory role at the FDA, McAfee has expressed interest in creating a certification program, similar to those in place for organic farming, for raw milk production. He also suggested revising food liability laws, and proposed the government consider raw milk and other whole food insurance programs, akin to the USDAs crop insurance program.
I would recommend strongly that all whole foods including maybe greens, eggs, carrots, by God, poor carrots have food liability insurance so people can get that food, because right now, insurance or companies saying, Oh, youre on the naughty list so no more insurance for you. he said. And so youre going to have stores with less and less of these whole foods that are critical to actually getting people healthy again.
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