I draw your attention to the first letter in this week's BMJ. Drs. de
Louvois and Rampling briefly present a study concerning the presence of
pathogenic organisms in Green Top unpasteurised milk. The headline reads
'One fifth of samples of unpasteurised milk are contaminated with
bacteria' - but the article admits that less than 4% of samples contained
potentially pathogenic organisms. Nevertheless, these results are being
used to support the PHLS position that Green Top milk should be banned.
Apart from being yet another example of Nanny medicine gone mad (Green Top
milk clearly states its unpasteurised nature and warns buyers of potential
risks to their health) it places the PHLS in the politically difficult
situation of how to respond should a different question be asked - let me
suggest an alternative ending to a similar article:
....., we must conclude that the continuing availability of chickens on
retail sale constitutes an unacceptable risk to public health.
I am given to understand that over 40% of chickens leaving abattoirs for our
table are significantly contaminated with either Salmonella spp. or
Campylobacter. Who would be a farmer now?
Johnathan Cobb
[log in to unmask]
Sheffield, UK
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