The Chicago Tribune has published a story about the Illinois Department of Public Health’s threat to shut down artisanal ice cream makers for making fresh – not industrial/processed – ice cream.

Kris Swanberg, a laid-off teacher, did something with her newfound free time and started to sell a product called Nice Cream, an artisanal product of her own creativity. Her apparent issues, among many, are that she uses fresh strawberries instead of high fructose corn syrup-loaded strawberry syrup, and she makes fresh ice cream as opposed to using the industrial, pre-made, processed “ice cream” mix that is made from artificial ingredients and chemicals. The ice cream is so good that even the local Whole Foods store sells the product, as well as the farmers markets.

However, Kris is told she will need a dairy license to stay in business. To get the license, Kris would have to find a new work space for her business, have the product consistently tested for bacteria levels, change the labeling and packaging to meet state standards, and purchase a $40k pasteurizer or used pre-made mix. She’s been told to use processed strawberry syrup or irradiated strawberries because fresh strawberries will not pass the bacteria tests. She’s been told by the Health Department that even if she uses pasteurized milk “and boils all of her ingredients together, she would need to pasteurize it again in the special machine.” Meanwhile, Kris Swanberg has been ordered to stop putting her products on the shelf.

Once again, the artisanal food makers are the new “terrorists” marked by the Food Nazis for harassment and, eventually, ruination of their businesses.

Read the Full Article here: http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/92665.html