Whole Foods to Stop selling Raw Milk. Your Action Needed Urgently!

[Guest guest]

Dear Raw Milk Friends,

Whole Foods is going to stop selling raw milk in Florida, as of Sept 30, 2009

unless we get them to change their minds. Whole Foods could decide to remove raw

milk from its stores in other regions, too.

This issue needs your help, EVEN IF YOU:

- already get raw milk easily

- don't drink raw milk personally

- don't shop at Whole Foods

- think only farmers should sell their raw milk directly to consumers

- sell raw milk yourself

- live in a state where raw milk is not legally sold in stores

PLEASE NOTE that in FLORIDA, raw milk may only be sold when labeled as PET FOOD,

and not for human consumption. Regardless of how it is packaged, there are no

laws regarding how people may use the milk once they buy it and bring it home.

(To learn about the benefits of raw milk, read the petition below--then sign

it!)

Perhaps if our efforts are successful at changing Whole Foods' decision, it can

serve as a catalyst to making raw milk legal in all states!

Thank you,

Mathias

Founder, MiamiRealFood.org

Steve Moreau,

WAPF Chapter- Longwood/ Altamonte Springs/ Lake Florida

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ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN BY SEPTEMBER 25, 2009:

1. Sign the petition at

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/wholefoodsrawmilk/.

Include any comments about why raw milk should be sold in Whole Foods stores.

See our Talking Points for ideas. By signing this petition, you are sending a

message to a major retailer that there is a strong demand for raw milk

everywhere. We will submit the petition on September 25, 2009.

2. Call Whole Foods' Florida regional office at .

Tell them you disapprove of their decision not to sell raw milk in Florida. When

calling the Florida office, DO NOT MENTION THAT YOU DRINK IT YOURSELVES. Confine

your remarks to economic and consumer issues like " I go to Whole Foods weekly to

buy raw milk, and then do most of my grocery shopping while I'm there. If you

stop selling raw milk, I'll have no major incentive to go into your store, " or

" Raw milk may legally be sold as pet food in Florida. Please continue to sell

this 'whole food' wherever it is legal! "

3. Call Whole Foods' National Customer Service Hotline at .

Tell them you disapprove of their decision not to sell raw milk in Florida. Tell

them that Whole Foods should offer this " whole food " wherever it is legal.

Mention any health benefits you've derived from it, or how much you rely on

Whole Foods to get the best foods possible. Tell them how it might affect your

decision not to shop there.

4. Write to Whole Foods' Customer Service Hotline at

customer.questions@....

Tell them why raw milk is important to you or why it should be available to the

public. See our Talking Points or the petition for ideas.

5. Post this to the Internet

Post this Action Alert, the petition link, the action phone numbers and email

addresses to everyone you know, and Internet networking groups like Yahoo

Groups, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn pages, and any of your web pages

and blogs.

TALKING POINTS:

1. Whole Foods' decision to remove raw milk from the marketplace sends the

message that this whole food is not a valuable product worth selling. Many

consumers look to Whole Foods for the " ideal " in nutrition. The absence of raw

milk from the stores sends the wrong message that raw milk is not ideal.

2. Although there are raw cow milk dairies in Central and Northern Florida, they

are too far from South Florida. The closest raw cow milk dairy to Key West is

460 miles away. The closest one to Miami is 360 miles away. These great

distances make it impractical for consumers to obtain raw milk directly from

dairies on a regular basis. Whole Foods brings this vital product to within a

few miles of the consumer.

3. Removing raw milk from Whole Foods stores creates a financial hardship for

average folks who would otherwise have to get it shipped in from afar. For

practical purposes, the removal of raw milk from Whole Foods relegates raw milk

to a purchase for the wealthy.

[Guest guest]

Don't have enough land for that here in Southern California.

I feed heavy alfalfa,bermuda,sweetlix goat minerals,and a

little bit of Dry COB,nothing unnatural,some 60/40 hay pellets

mixed in the grain for does that get scours from eating too

much grain..Vet's orders..Goats don't graze though,they'd rather eat tree bark,trigs,and leaves,and weeds,they like the

dry weeds the best..I grow acacia for my girls too,and I give

them trimmings as treats..One of these days I'll get enough

acacia trees planted that they can eat instead of hay..LJPS

Re: Whole Foods to Stop selling Raw Milk. Your Action Needed Urgently! i can't afford 20$/gal raw milk at WF, anyway, can u? your action is also needed to make the price reasonable/available to average people who would be supporters of raw milk if only they could buy it, elaine

[Guest guest]

Not when most of them are Nigerian Dwarf..or Mini nubian..

only 5 big girls-3 new ones-4-5 months old,2 angora goats,rest

are all minis,oh and one boer doe..that includes 3 bucks too..

2 nigerian dwarf,1 5 month old nubian buck..LJPS

Re: Whole Foods to Stop selling Raw Milk. Your Action Needed Urgently! i can't afford 20$/gal raw milk at WF, anyway, can u? your action is also needed to make the price reasonable/available to average people who would be supporters of raw milk if only they could buy it, elaine

[Guest guest]

20$/gal in Los Angeles? how much for cow milk?

elaine

> The cost is high because feed and hay costs are

> way up..good Alfalfa hay is $10-$15 a bale and grass

> hay is about the same..Feed is high too..Then there

> are minerals to keep your animal healthy,and good

> well water..My goats get the runs if they get city water..I have about 20

goats and it costs over $300

> a month in just feed and hay..So,$20 a gallon is about right..LJPS

[Guest guest]

I wish we had milk available for $6/gallon from a dairy in our part of the state. We're so far removed from any raw cow dairies (300+ miles away) that we (and the other 2+ million people in the Miami metro area) can only get a delivery once per month. Whole Foods is the only place to get raw milk on a regular basis, and at a *somewhat* affordable price. Once they stop carrying it, raw milk will become a food for only the wealthy down here.Furthermore, once Whole Foods stops selling raw milk, they are sending the loud public message that raw milk is not a valuable whole food, not valuable enough to carry in its stores--when raw milk is the ultimate in whole food!So please, this is about the bigger picture. Not just the practical aspects of getting or not getting raw milk. But also about the public image of raw milk

too.http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/wholefoodsrawmilk/Thanks! MathiasSubject: RE: Re: Whole Foods to Stop selling Raw Milk. Your Action Needed Urgently!To: RawDairy Date: Saturday, September 19, 2009, 8:14 PM

that is the main reason we offer direct to the consumer.through

a herd share. With a cost of 6.00 Per gallon. We want the average person to be able to afford our milk. There are others around us selling close to twice as much.

Re: Whole Foods to Stop selling Raw Milk. Your Action Needed Urgently!

i can't afford 20$/gal raw milk at WF, anyway, can u? your action is also needed to make the price reasonable/availabl e to average people who would be supporters of raw milk if only they could buy it,

elaine