As raw milk pushers protest in Washington, D.C. today, Kansas is delving into some kind of Learning Annex approach to promote the stuff.

A course being offered at UFM Community Learning Center in Manhattan (the Kansas one) declares,

“Unpasteurized, farm-fresh milk is Mother Nature’s most perfect food. During this class, you will discover the differences between pasteurized and unpasteurized milk, the political history of raw milk in America and in Kansas, and how to find quality sources of raw milk for you and your family. … this class is essential for all people who want a healthy lifestyle.”

Some background: What appears to be the local version of the he-man-woman-haters club, the University for Man, was founded in Manhattan in 1968. Being progressive, the group changed its name in the early 1990’s to University for Mankind. In 1999, the words were eliminated, but the initials UFM were kept and additional explanatory words, Community Learning Center were added. The official name is now, UFM Community Learning Center.

The class on raw milk is being taught by Stephanie Schiefelbein, who apparently works in the library at Kansas State University, and is active with the usual groups of raw milk pushers, and Deane Lehmann (disclaimer: UFM is a community learning program that contracts with nonprofessional community instructors).

In Kansas, dairies may only sell raw milk on the farm. The transaction must be on the farm and it must be between the dairyman and the consumer. Advertising raw milk sales is prohibited except on the farm premises. The milk container must be labeled as "raw" or "unpasteurized-ungraded" milk. The Kansas Department of Agriculture advises consumers to not consume raw milk and dairy products because they may contain pathogenic bacteria that can make them sick.

The UFM course is hucksterism. In the interests of educational discussion, will outbreaks of foodborne disease related to raw milk be thoroughly covered?

A table of raw milk outbreaks is available at http://bites.ksu.edu/rawmilk.