SB 201: Fresh Milk Act of 2008 to Hit Senate Floor as Early as Thursday, Aug. 28!

Defending the rights and broadening the freedoms of family farms and protecting
consumer access to raw milk and nutrient dense foods.

SB 201: Fresh Milk Act of 2008 to Hit Senate Floor as Early as Thursday, Aug. 28!

We need your phone calls to key Senate Members now.

Thanks to your support and phone calls, SB 201 has passed out of the Assembly with unanimous "yes" votes in each committee and the floor. With your support we can make it through the Senate. Please call the Senate Members below before Thursday and tell them you want them to support SB 201 on the Senate Floor.

Key Senate Members
Senator Dave Cogdill (Republican Leader) (916) 651-4014
Senator Sam Aanestad (916) 651-4004
Senator Dick Ackerman (916) 651-4033
Senator Roy Ashburn (916) 651-4018
Senator Jim Battin (916) 651-4037
Senator Dave Cox (916) 651-4001
Senator Jeff Denham (916) 651-4012
Senator Robert Dutton (916) 651-4031
Senator Tom Harman (916) 651-4035
Senator Dennis Hollingsworth (916) 651-4036
Senator Abel Maldonado (916) 651-4015
Senator Bob Margett (916) 651-4029
Senator Tom McClintock (916) 651-4019
Senator George Runner (916) 651-4017

Your Calls Have Made a Huge Impact - Keep it up!

Watch Informational Video on SB 201

Legislative Info on SB 201

More about SB 201 on wewantorganicgood.com

SB 201: Fresh Milk Act of 2008 - The Details

Senator Dean Florez said it best when he held hearings on Farm Fresh Milk in April of this year. He said we want "World Class Raw Milk for California." SB 201, sponsored by Senator Florez, Senator Perata and Assembly member Berryhill accomplishes just that.

SB 201 starts its abbreviated journey through the legislative process this week. With six hours of Senate hearings and testimony from experts from around the world, the Senate record on raw milk is strong. Because of the tremendous amount of work by Senator Dean Florez, Senator Don Perata, Assemblyman Mike Villines, Assemblywoman Nicole Parra, Assemblyman Tom Berryhill, Whole Foods President Walter Robb, Sally Fallon, Dr. Ron Hull, Dr. Ted Beals and many others, this world class Raw Milk bill has gathered broad political support.

SB 201 pioneers standards and regulatory protections that are the first in the nation, are holistic in addressing every critical process in the dairy, and provide greater protections for consumers than the standards currently in law. It promotes consumer choice in California by keeping raw milk available on store shelves, while at the same time increasing food safety protections to ensure that the raw milk sold in California is the safest in the nation.

For the first time in the United States, SB 201 mandates a HACCP (food safety) plan at California's raw milk dairies. This type of individualized food safety plan is presently utilized by food processors in other industries in California, and was deemed to be the best alternative to promote raw milk food safety by scientists at our recent hearing.

SB 201 provides for at least eight times more testing for E. Coli 0157:H7, standard plate count, and coliforms as each raw milk dairy is required to provide an independent lab product samples at least twice per week. There is presently no such requirement in California law. In the past, CDFA has performed simple tests that were used as indicators that harmful pathogens may be present. SB 201 instead requires the CDFA to test directly for the pathogens that cause illness in humans at least once per month. CDFA may take raw milk samples from any location deemed appropriate. Testing directly for pathogens provides a more accurate picture of what is contained in the final product.

Finally, this bill prohibits raw milk dairies from receiving milk from other dairies that do not meet these stringent requirements.

These innovative food safety measures, when taken in their entirety, provide multiple layers of protection to our consumers, ensuring that California continues to be the leader in raw milk food safety.