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

[bluereef]

Dear Raw Milk Friends,

Whole Foods is going to stop selling raw cow and goat 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,
Wendy Mathias
Founder, MiamiRealFood.org

Steve Moreau,
WAPF Chapter- Longwood/ Altamonte Springs/ Lake Mary 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 954-489-2100.
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 512-542-0878.
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@wholefoods.com.
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.