
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, July 17, 1990                   TAG: 9007170064
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Tammy Poole
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

PASTEURIZED GOAT'S MILK MAY BE HARD TO FIND

Q: Could you please help me locate a source for goat's milk? At age 43, I have been diagnosed as being allergic to cow's milk and I desperately miss my daily glass of milk. I've seen it in grocery stores, but it's quite expensive. The Roanoke Natural Foods Co-op carries it, but are frequently out. I'd like to find a goat farm that sells it, if possible. - B.H., Daleville

A: This is really going to get your goat - there's only one state-approved dairy that sells pasteurized goat's milk - and it's in Wytheville.

Cove Mountain Goat Dairy is the only Grade-A goat dairy farm in Virginia and the only producer/processor/distributor of Grade-A pasteurized goat milk holding permits from the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the Virginia Department of Health, said Mary Clare Wohlford, who runs the dairy with her husband, William.

The Wohlfords sell their goat's milk commercially. In Roanoke, it's available at the Kroger supermarket at Tanglewood Mall, Wohlford said.

Buying unpasteurized milk of any kind directly from a farm or individual may be cheaper but is illegal in Virginia, according to John A. Beers, program manager for the dairy services branch of the Virgina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in Richmond.

"There are a number of things that can happen from drinking unpasteurized milk. The biggest problem is all the diseases that can be passed from animals to humans, including scarlet fever, staph and strep bacteria, salmonella, or tuberculosis," Beers said.

While this does not mean that the animals have these disease-causing germs, the potential is there, he said. "The udder of an animal provides such a beautiful medium for organisms to grow, and if you frequently drink unpasteurized milk, you're going to pick up something. It's a matter of when, not if, you're going to get sick."

It's true that "people who have been drinking raw milk all their lives have built up a resistance to it," Beers said. "But a Joe Blow city person who drinks raw milk will be more susceptible because he has no natural immunity. The risks to him are actually greater."

If goat's milk proves too expensive or difficult to obtain, registered dietician Dr. Jean Robbins said your body may tolerate other dairy products. She suggests you try eating yogurt or cheese to get the calcium and protein your body needs.

by CNB