John Schwenkler reports on the milk pasteurization wars:
Mark McAfee, who is Hall’s boss at Organic Pastures, makes no secret of his disdain for the FDA and what he calls its “oppression” of his business, claiming that the government’s investigation amounts to malicious prosecution. McAfee is brash, self-confident, and unwavering in his commitment to what he sells. He’s got to be: His farm, which is equipped with its own airplane landing strip and has recently been courting investments from venture capitalists, brings in millions of dollars a year from a product the FDA calls “inherently dangerous” and pegs as “a source of foodborne illness and even a cause of death within the United States.” McAfee has gotten under the government’s skin, it seems, by circumventing federal laws that ban interstate commerce in this product in forms intended “for direct human consumption” by slapping a “PET FOOD” label on the side, handing it off to UPS, and shipping it all over the world to the tune of $20,000 a week, intrastate sales not included.