Rawesome Foods Raided... Again!

A little more than a year ago, Rawesome Foods, a health food co-op based in Venice, California was the target of an armed raid by several agencies, and the resulting video went viral.

On August 3, 2011, Rawesome experienced another multi-agency raid, but this one resulted in the arrest of the establishment's owner James Stewart.

Stewart, and Sharon Palmer, the farmer who supplies him with raw goat milk, are being held on bails in excess of $100,000 and are each charged with four felonies and several more misdemeanors. Some examples of the charges are "processing unpasteurized milk," "improper labeling of food," and "improper egg temperatures."

The government has kept pursuing Stewart and his club for years, despite a lack of any reports of illness or injury from consumption of his foods. Rawesome members argue that they are part of a private club, not subject to government regulation, and that they are being persecuted for their alternative lifestyles.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's office would not comment for this video, but offered this press release and also released a list of the charges against Stewart and Palmer: http://da.co.la.ca.us/mr/080311a.htm

Reason.tv covered the first Rawesome raid in 2010 here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioN0ehlyyXI

Approximately 3:30.

Produced by Zach Weissmueller. Camera by Sharif Matar and Alex Manning.

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Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• raw foods raid
• raw food
• rawesome
• food freedom
• FDA
• police state
• libertarian
• reason
• reason magazine
• nick gillespie
• zach weissmueller
• sharif matar
• james stewart
• sharon palmer
• august raid

[HamsterFueledRocket]

Why aren't there more hippie/libertarians? The two go together so well!

[RunFasterPussycat]

they are getting messed with because they are harmless, they are unarmed domesticated cattle and they are being treated as such

if these people walked around with AK's and AR's while they got their organic foods the cops wouldn't F*ck with them

[huevonkiller]

@sprice676 I agree completely.

[sultansempire]

thats ridiculous, they lock up people for selling healthy natural products but yet there is no-one going after all these multimillion dollars pharmaceutical companies and doctors who create more diseases than anything with their untested meds, vaccines & cancer causing equipments like ct xray machines.

[YouAreOneOfUs]

Any update to this? I can't belive there are only 35k views and only a few vids on this topic.

[chucky2527]

Ron Paul 2012



[RuthsGarden]

It's illegal for us to grow our own food? Let's all do something revolutionary and grow a veggie garden and sneak goats and chickens into our backyards. I'll start...

[tommykn222]

I'm caught in the middle here, I think raw foods can be a choice but either private or public membership does not matter. As a business stand point he catered to a select consumer and we have rights to eat whatever we want. But I think the FDA is right and wrong. They are right to push regulations meet standard and safety like the eggs temperature. But as far as milk than since it's not process than each batch needs testing along with documents. It will cost such business too much money, t

[stew6302]

Sounds like a lot of milk in inventory. What reason is there for an inventory that large.

[acenspades]

LOL! what a bunch of hippies out there in California. Do as your told and you won't get hurt..simple as that

[dcmannen]

@ScreamingInAPaperCup

Really? Several people? How about an exact #.....your're freestyling.