Illegal milk? US foodies risk it for the 'real' creme de la creme

0 Comments | AFP, June, 2008

WASHINGTON (AFP) — Anonymous drop-offs, arrests and packages disguised as pet food -- it's the underground world of 'raw' milk, the latest health food craze sweeping the United States.

Marta, 29, is among thousands of Americans seeking out unpasteurized dairy products that enthusiasts say can cure everything from asthma to autism -- despite it being illegal in many states on the grounds that it is unsafe.

She orders her produce from an Amish farmer in Pennsylvania and drives to a designated drop-off point in her home state of Virginia -- where raw milk sales are banned -- to pick up three gallons of milk, once a fortnight.

"We almost feel like we're drug traffickers when we're buying the milk. It's insane," said Marta, who withheld her last name to protect...