Hi Friend,
That's right! This week, we, the Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund (FTCLDF) and one of our members, Mark McAfee of Organic Pastures Dairy, filed suit against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia!
Our lawsuit seeks to force the FDA to act on our petition to permit the transportation of raw butter across state lines. The FDA improperly banned raw butter as part of the agency’s interstate ban on raw fluid milk.
Why'd we have to file a lawsuit against the FDA?
Well, as detailed in our petition, FDA lacks the authority to include butter in its interstate raw-milk ban in the first place, since Congress has specifically prohibited the FDA from changing the standard of identity of butter. Because we filed a raw-butter petition with the FDA on June 22, 2016 and FDA failed to provide any substantive response to our petition—a clear violation of the Administrative Procedure Act, which requires agencies to respond to citizen petitions within six months—we were forced to sue the FDA.
Many Americans prefer raw butter because of its taste, nutrient density, and easy digestibility. Raw butter also has a positive safety record: studies show pathogenic bacteria do not grow well in it.
Thanks to all who supported this effort so far including the Weston A. Price Foundation, Raw Milk Institute, and individual donors.
Learn more about the lawsuit HERE and please share!
Cheers to our favorite veggie and toast accompaniment (raw butter!),
Kat
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