Book Board Chat

Got Milk?

Ten law enforcement agencies dedicated hundreds of hours to track the suspects. They used high-tech video equipment hidden on a utility pole for round-the-clock surveillance and used undercover agents to make covert buys. This wasn't a major narcotics investigation; it was a crackdown on the illegal trafficking of raw goat milk, cheese and yogurt.

The arrests of a Ventura County farmer and the operator of a Venice health food store have become a rallying cry for raw-food advocates for what they describe as the government's hard line on nontraditional food sources. In the months since the arrests, new details have emerged about the lengths that authorities went to build their case.

Defense attorneys said they've learned through the prosecution that the investigation included hours of secretly recorded video, "decoy" buys at the Rawesome Health Food Store and at other farmers' markets. The one-year investigation is documented in thousands of pages of reports, they said.

The suspects, the "Rawesome Three, are free on bail and scheduled to return to court Dec. 1. "If this were a terror plot against the LA Airport, I could understand it," said L. Arik Greenberg, who used to shop regularly at Rawesome. "But these are people who want to get milk from a farm and drink it."

Defense attorneys described Rawesome as a private food club where members could buy raw dairy products as well as organic produce, meat and honey. Members paid dues that enabled them to own the animals that produced the raw dairy products. They say the store gave them a healthy alternative to mass-produced, processed foods that fill supermarkets and fast-food outlets.

Prosecutors say raw milk poses significant risks of contamination that can cause illness or death. They say the three suspects violated the law by operating without required licenses, which meant regulatory agencies weren't able to inspect them for safety and cleanliness The law requires raw dairy processing plants to be licensed, animals to be inspected by veterinarians, and facilities and equipment to meet sanitation requirements, prosecutors said.

Six of the charges are felonies and include operating an unlicensed milk plant, conspiracy to sell unlawfully produced milk products, producing milk products in unsanitary conditions and tearing down a health department closure notice and reopening the store. The three suspects have pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Legal experts said they were not surprised by the extent of the investigation. It may sound like overkill. But from the agencies' perspective, they want to show they can do their version of a major case. said Law School professor Laurie Levenson. They don't want to lose it. They can say is they're saving human lives, and so it's worth it.

"It's a tremendous misuse of resources and a waste of time," said the attorney representing the store and the farm. "The kind of investigation that was done in this case is similar to what you see in a violent criminal enterprises, something the mob would be involved in."

The arrests and closure of Rawesome have led members to scramble for alternative sources of raw milk, sources that many members decline to disclose. They wonder why tax money is being used to police the production of health food. "It's very misplaced," said Aajonus Vonderplanitz, a Malibu nutritionist and creator of the "Primal Diet," which advocates raw meat, produce and dairy. "We're throwing money to people on Wall Street and not taking care of those criminals and at the same time spending all this money to go after raw milk."

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-raw-milk-investigation-20111028,0,4560029.story?track=lat-pick