Milk from sick cows

There is something called the somatic cell count (SCC) that is used to reflect the amount of pus in milk. More accurately, it is an indicator of mammary gland health and an elevated count indicates an infection.

"Milk SCC is a long-established barometer of milk quality. An elevated SCC is an indicator of udder infection (mastitits)." Journal of Dairy Science 2000;83(12):2782-2788.

A 2005 study published through the British Veterinary Association indicates that a SCC less than 100,000 cells/mL is considered to be healthy. SCC greater than 200,000 cells/mL indicates a bacterial infection.

In the United States, the legal limit is 750,000 cells/mL
In Canada, the legal limit is 500,000 cells/mL
In Europe, Australia and New Zealand, the legal limit is 400,000 cells/mL

The United States not only has the lowest standards, but the standards contradict expert opinion on an acceptable amount of pus in our milk! Defenders of the US policy will state that although the upper limit is 750,000, most dairy herds come in around 270,000 cells/mL. Let me point out that that is still a sick cow.

Pastuerization, thankfully, destroys most of the cells. But imagine this; you pull out a steak from the refrigerator that you've been meaning to grill. You smell it and it gives off a revolting smell. You barely contain your vomit due to the stench.

Will you just cook it a little longer? Or will you refuse to eat it? Most of us would probably throw it out. Yet, we drink dirty milk because it's been pasteurized.