Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) showed her true colors — and not just with her infamous purple hair dye — during a hearing before Congress when she flipped her lid over the idea of raw milk, which is milk that has not been pasteurized or homogenized. Big retailers such as Amazon, Target, and even Walmart sell raw milk to customers.
Long ago, before the mid-1900s, the only kind of milk available was raw, meaning it still contained natural bacteria. And it didn’t just come from cows either. Sources of raw milk used to include animals such as goats, sheep, buffalo, and, strangely, camels. It was the main ingredient in making classic foods and treats such as cheese, yogurt, and ice cream.
DeLauro’s meltdown, featuring lots of explosive hand waving and yelling, started off with her saying, “If I were the head of HHS, I would by God say don’t drink raw milk. It is dangerous to your health, and if you can’t say that well maybe there’s some other conclusions that can be drawn.” Many folks consider raw milk to be a healthier alternative to pasteurization, despite containing bacteria, yeasts, and molds.
In order to pasteurize milk it needs to be heated to at least 161 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 seconds, or heated to 145 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes. This method keeps the milk fresh for 2-3 weeks. Raw milk seems to be an issue that DeLauro is very passionate about, having released a statement in March calling for the Food and Drug Administration to pull it off store shelves.
Other members of Congress helped create the statement after several reports of E. coli contamination connected to cheddar cheese made from raw milk. The list of representatives who joined DeLauro included: Sanford D. Bishop Jr. (GA-02), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09),André Carson (IN-07), Alma Adams (NC-12), Mike Quigley (IL-05), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Grace Meng (NY-06), Mark Takano (CA-39).
“The FDA recommended that Raw Farm voluntarily remove its raw cheese products from sale after they determined it was the likely source of an ongoing E. coli outbreak,” the members of Congress went on to say in the statement. “Raw Farm refused. We have one message for Raw Farm and FDA: get it off the shelves – now.”
“FDA must act so consumers are not subject to the whims of corporations that would put their profits over public health. And if mandatory authority needs to be strengthened, the Food Safety Caucus stands ready to tackle this issue at FDA’s request. Secretary Kennedy’s connection to Raw Farm and FDA’s lack of action here raise serious questions. At bare minimum, this is a potentially concerning conflict of interest. At worst, Secretary Kennedy is once again playing dangerous games with American’s health,” the statement continued.
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DeLauro was heavily criticized on social media for her theatrics on the issue. One user wrote, “She really is a fruitcake. I can’t believe people like this are elected to Congress. Typical Democrat.” Another went on to say, “That b***h is old enough to remember drinking milk before it was pasteurized!!” Someone else wrote, “This is what happens when you do not drink raw milk! You turn into Smeagle, Troll, Witch, or whatever the hell that screeching creature is!”
Featured Image: screenshot from embedded video