May 2012

The Defeat of Sen. Rand Paul’s Amendment on FDA Cops Serves As Another American Civics Teaching Moment

Lots of people were discouraged because Sen. Rand Paul’s proposed amendment to reign in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was overwhelmingly defeated last week. It would have prohibited FDA agents from carrying weapons and making arrests as well as liberalized the rule on advertising of various foods’ health benefits.  (The amendment’s text and the vote of individual senators is shown here.)

I have a different take. I find it encouraging, first, that a senator even made this sort of proposal and, second, that 15  per cent of the senators supported it.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012 60 Comments READ MORE

Where Will the First Case of Child Abuse for Serving “Dangerous” Food Originate?

When I wrote about the case of parents suing Minnesota farmer Michael Hartmann in connection with their child’s alleged illness from raw milk, and the judge's suggestion the parents might bear  some responsibility for their child’s illness, I assumed the judge's intent was to reduce the potential responsibility ascribed to Hartmann. But alas, as Ron Klein reminds us in comments following the previous post, our legal system doesn’t necessarily work in such logical ways. More often than not, the idea is to ascribe blame.

So while our legal system has always provided an opening for the state to intervene to “protect” children, it’s only in recent years that the system is being slanted so aggressively this way.

Thursday, May 24, 2012 102 Comments READ MORE

Shades of Gray: Why A Journalist’s Reporting on MN Raw Milk Won’t Get a Lot of Accolades from Either Side

 There have been many newspaper articles about raw milk over the last few years, and they nearly all use the same presentation formula. They begin with an example of a farmer producing raw milk for many happy customers. Then the narrative switches to all the warnings about raw milk’s dangers from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control. They conclude with favorable quotes from raw milk drinkers and unfavorable quotes from public health officials.

Monday, May 21, 2012 121 Comments READ MORE

Lots of Bobbing and Weaving Going on in MN, As MDA Gets Delay in Schlangen Trial; OPDC Cleared to Sell Dairy Products

 

 

Food rights proponents got another civics lesson today when Alvin Schlangen’s jury trial on four misdemeanor charges, due to begin next Monday, was put off indefinitely.

It is easy for food rights proponents who participated in protest activities in Minnesota in recent days to think they’re not being noticed. In point of fact, they are being noticed, big time.

The Hennepin County prosecutor in charge of the Alvin Schlangen trial succeeded in delaying the trial, using the excuse that a lab technician from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture due to testify about raw milk was unavailable next week.

Thursday, May 17, 2012 71 Comments READ MORE

Food Police in MN and CA Giving Us More Opportunities, and Incentives, to Resist

"We will not comply!"

That was the rallying cry from Raw Milk Freedom Riders leader Liz Reitzig and 200 participants at the Minneapolis demonstration Monday in support of Alvin Schlangen.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012 47 Comments READ MORE

Will Jury Trial Make a Difference in Schlangen Food Rights Case? Mmmm, Pasteurized Eggs; A Primer on Raw Milk Debate

At long last there will be a jury trial of a raw dairy provider.

After six years of legal cases involving raw dairy providers in New York (Meadowsweet Dairy), Wisconsin (Max Kane, Zinnikers, Craigs), Missouri (Morningland Dairy), and Ohio (Carol Schmitmeyer), a jury will be asked to decide the fate of Alvin Schlangen in Minnesota. In only the Ohio case did a judge rule in favor of the raw dairy provider.

Monday, May 14, 2012 15 Comments READ MORE

Another Recall At OPDC--Wishing for Clear Thinking on Both Sides; Shifting Media Focus?

 

The West Coast people got a little bit of a head start in discussing the recall of Organic Pastures Dairy Co.’s products (following my previous post). A recall, and quarantine, was ordered by the California Department of Food and Agriculture, alleging that campylobacter was found in a sample of OPDC cream, and that at least ten people became ill as a result earlier this year.

Friday, May 11, 2012 101 Comments READ MORE

More MN Consumers Threatened by MDA—And A New Kind of Chess Game Takes Shape

 

The Minnesota  Department of Agriculture’s campaign against consumers is significantly more widespread than I first reported. And it is stirring up a hornet’s nest of outrage, and promises of defiance.

It turns out the MDA actually sent its love letters threatening criminal charges to nine or ten consumers of farmer Michael Hartmann—nine, according to a spokesman from the MDA, and ten according to consumers who have been comparing notes among themselves.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012 46 Comments READ MORE

Upping the Ante in MN—At Least 4 Consumers Threatened with “Criminal Prosecution” Over Food Deliveries, Hartmann Charged with 9 Misdemeanors

 

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is rapidly challenging its Wisconsin cousin as the FDA’s poster boy for how to threaten and intimidate producers and consumers of nutrient-dense foods.

In the latest episode in a two-year-long series of aggressive punitive actions, the state has sent warning letters to at least four consumers, alleging they violated Minnesota laws in connection with selling raw milk, and selling “adulterated” and “misbranded” foods.  

Friday, May 4, 2012 126 Comments READ MORE

Kickstarter Offers Enterprising Farmers Something They’ve Never Had: A Straightforward Way to Raise Money for New Projects

Now that Vermont farmer Walter Jeffries has raised $25,000 on Kickstarter to complete a new butcher shop at his Sugar Mountain Farm, he’s working on the next $5,000—to “pour the concrete for… the abattoir where we'll be able to do on-farm slaughter. “

He’s clearly taken with his success, and well he should be. Raising capital has traditionally been a very challenging task for most small businesses, and even more so for small farms. They just haven’t had the pizzazz of video game companies or businesses making some new iPhone gizmo.

Wednesday, May 2, 2012 39 Comments READ MORE