These days the closest most people get to raw dairy products is gourmet goat cheese at a deli. But raw milk is the cat's meow according to Mark McAfee.

Organic raw milk intended for human consumption is not only nutritionally superior, but it is also safer than conventionally produced milk, contends McAfee, founder of Organic Pastures Dairy Company, the only retail-approved, raw organic dairy producer in North America.

"The differences between conventional and raw milk are dramatic," he said in a phone interview in October 2007. "Raw milk has rare enzymes, minerals and fatty acids that are critical for immunity and brain development."

McAfee's products are sold in over 300 natural food stores in California, where it is legal to sell raw milk. In Canada, it has been illegal to sell raw milk since 1991.

The Food and Drug Regulations require that all milk available for sale in Canada be subjected to the heat treatment of pasteurization to eliminate disease-causing bacteria linked to food-borne illness such as Salmonella, E. coli and Listeria.

"When you pasteurize, two major advantages are extended shelf-life and less need to worry about how clean or sanitary the conditions are where the milk was produced. But the trade-off is, you destroy enzymes and beneficial bacteria," said McAfee.

McAfee says that he talks to people all the time whose lactose intolerance and allergies clear up once they switch to organic, properly produced raw milk.

"There are some Canadians who continue to prefer raw milk because of perceived health benefits," notes an advisory on the Health Canada website. "However, any possible benefits are far outweighed by the serious risk of illness from drinking raw milk."

In 2005, in Ontario, there were four reported cases of illness due to E. coli 0157:H7 infections associated with drinking raw milk.

Raw cheese is allowed in Canada as it undergoes different pathogen-killing manufacturing processes.

McAfee says that there is a difference between raw milk intended for pasteurization and raw milk manufactured for human consumption. His cows live on green grass pastures and in clean, dry environments. They don't receive antibiotics or grain-based diets. These changes, McAfee said, change the pH in the guts of the cows and reduces the chance of bad bacteria incidence.

McAfee also routinely tests his products and reveals the surprisingly low bacteria count data on his company website. In 80 million servings of raw milk, he said, Organic Pastures has had not one reported illness or hospitalization.

Those numbers are certainly proof enough for his growing customer base. Organic Pasture sales are growing at 28 to 30 percent a year.

Raw milk is also available for legal purchase in England, France, Germany, Austria and Switzerland and numerous US states, according to the Canadian website, www.naturalmilk.org.

Between 1988 and 2005, 33 outbreaks of infections associated with raw milk consumption were reported to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Mark McAfee spoke at a HANS-sponsored event in October 2007. A DVD is available for sale or is offered as a free gift with HANS membersship, call 604-435-0512.

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