Farmers should have the right to milk a cow and sell a gallon of that milk to their neighbors, argue libertarian supporters of the food freedom movement. They should be able to slaughter and sell the meat of the livestock they raised directly to consumers.

Consumer advocates and Big Ag have fought successfully for years to keep strong federal and state regulations on the books to block such allowances, citing serious food safety concerns. But as buying local has become all the rage and concerns about industrialized agriculture more widespread, the right-leaning food freedom cause is gaining steam and increasingly finding allies on the left.

House legislation to legalize the interstate shipment of unpasteurized milk, which is illegal to sell in about half of the country, recently attracted more Democratic co-sponsors, including Reps. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) and Jared Polis (D-Colo.). In years past, former Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) had few allies stand with him on the same issue.

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In another example of food freedom bipartisanship, Democratic Reps. Pingree and Peter Welch of Vermont teamed up with Republicans Steve Womack of Arkansas and Cory Gardner of Colorado to take on a regulation the FDA proposed under a 2011 food safety law that would impose new safety standards on spent grain, which brewers often donate or sell to livestock farms.

Small-scale producers have also had the support of Sens. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Kay Hagan (D-N.C.), who gained major exemptions for them when the sweeping food safety overhaul was being considered in the Senate.

However, as the movement gains support inside and outside the Beltway, consumer advocates hope the trend to support small producers doesnt outweigh efforts to make food safer.

When you talk about food freedom and public health, you want food to be free of pathogens, said Chris Waldrop, director of the Food Policy Institute at the Consumer Federation of America. You have to be very careful in how you look at this and craft those proposals because it could mean putting consumers at risk in order to alleviate some regulatory burdens for local farmers.

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But supporters of the movement, including Rep. Thomas Massie, the Kentucky Republican who sponsored the two raw milk-related bills and is looking to take a leadership role in the food freedom movement, insist the food safety argument is moot because industrialized agriculture is causing more problems.

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Food Freedom cause grows with help