Raw Foods Raid - The Fight For the Right To Eat What You Want

This summer armed government agents raided Rawesome Foods, a Venice, California health food co-op. What were the agents after? Unpasteurized milk, it turns out.

Raw milk raids are happening all over the United States. The Food and Drug Administration warns that raw milk consumption can cause health problems, but a growing community of raw foods enthusiasts are ignoring government recommendations and claiming that they are getting tastier, more nutritious food by going raw.

Reason.tv visited Rawesome to examine the circumstances of the raid and discovered that this particular raw foods case stretches across county lines and involves at least five separate government agencies, despite the fact that not a single member of Rawesome has complained or been harmed by the raw foods. In fact, members have to sign a contract stating that they understand and accept the risks of consuming raw foods before they are allowed to step inside.

If members of a private club sign a waiver stating that they want to drink a certain type of milk, why is the government getting involved? As Jarel Winterhawk, a manager at Rawesome, puts it, "This is America. How are you going to tell me what I can and cannot eat?"

Though no charges have yet resulted from the raid, Rawesome is threated with shutdown due to the involvement of yet another government agency, Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety, and the club's raw goat milk supplier, Healthy Family Farms, has had its dairy license suspended.

"Raw Foods Raid" is written and produced by Zach Weissmueller. Camera by Alex Manning and Weissmueller. Senior Producer is Ted Balaker. Music by Jami Sieber, Five Star Fall, and Kammen and Swan (Magnatune Records).

Approximately 7 minutes.

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Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• reasontv
• reason magazine
• raw foods
• rawesome
• venice
• food freedom
• libertarian
• raw milk
• Zach Weissmueller
• Nick Gillespie
• Ted Balaker
• Alex Manning

[commonsense2008]

Part of 'population control' and globalism. This is why they passed laws like the patriot act, S510, and recently (yes only 30 days ago) NDAA, and PIPA. Ultimately, they want everybody to eat frankenstein food, genetically modified tasteless crap.

[dont138]

This is crazy. It's a shame to know that our constitution has been raped so badly.

[WastedPo]

I have a question for the people here excusing the raid because they think that raw milk is inherently dangerous: How do you justify the fact that they destroyed all the eggs and organic fruits and vegetables too? There was a homeless shelter right nearby and they threw all that food into a dump. Are organic vegetables also dangerous?

[WastedPo]

@mikellv7, I'm afraid you're not going to get anyone to take up your cause unless someone shuts down Twitter and sabatoges the TV stations who show reality TV. Until then, the placated masses won't stand up for much of anything.

[WastedPo]

@Hamandchees3, I'm genuinely curious. Do you want water filters that get rid of sodium fluoride to be banned? After all, people who believe sodium fluoride is a neuro-toxic waste from the aluminum industry are crazy and need to be saved from themselves. Do you also think we should ban organic fruits and veggies because we know that genetically modified foods are scientifically superior?

[WastedPo]

@JETZcorp, fear of GMOs is not irrational.The FDA never properly tested for long-term effects, and what tests have been done have revealed disastrous effects for the organs and reproductive organs in mammals. It's Frankenfood that completely goes against the natural course of how we and the rest of the environment developed. GMOs are also pretty uncontrollable and have contaminated the ecosystem, even in places where they were never intentionally released. Also, if the bees die, so do we.

[iondetox]

@WastedPo I agree.. but it's all about honor and integrity.. they read words and say words but their loyalty lies within a dark heart. They would sell their mother for a few cents.

[WastedPo]

@adelyn123, were you even alive when Bush was President? He wasn't exactly a classical conservative who believed in small government.

[WastedPo]

When those tough guys threw all the organic food away, stole the cash and dumped all the milk down the drain, I can't help think of how the "just following orders" goons behaved under Joseph Stalin.

[WastedPo]

@djmopa, I'm sure they do have common sense and know all that. The problem is, they're soulless scumbags. When you look at it from that perspective, their actions make perfect sense.

[WastedPo]

@metalebd, you mention Wikipedia as if it's unimpeachable. Do you also think that corn-fed, antibiotic-raised cows are healthier than grass-fed beef, or that pasteured farm eggs are no more nutritious than typical supermarket eggs?

And if you want to talk about health, do you think that the foods loaded with hormones, pesticides and GMOs aren't killing us? Just because someone doesn't immediately go to the hospital with stomach cramps after eating something, doesn't mean food is okay.

[WastedPo]

@iondetox, after the Patriot Act and the National Defense Authorization Act I'm not so sure the Constitution even exists anymore. Of course, it would help things if all those pigs that swear an oath to uphold the principles of the Constitution actually were literate enough to read it.