He’s back! MDA agent Jim Roettger shown last December hauling food and holding a search warrant at a suburban Minneapolis dropoff site for the Hartmann farm. “I’m new to this community and…get food from Alvin (Schlangen),” writes Elisa on a listserve. “I’m so upset they have done this, as is my whole family.”
Welcome to Minnesota, Elisa, where official interference in ordinary people’s access to food has become a major public initiative, along with paving roads and building schools.
And let me introduce you to James Roettger, the man who coordinated the “this” you refer to–the seizure of $5,000-$6,000 worth of food from Alvin Schlangen’s van yesterday.
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you already know something about Roettger–he’s the Minnesota Department of Agriculture agent who seized food being distributed from the Hartmann farm in a Minneapolis suburb last December, mis-using his handicapped plate in the process.
The Minnesota campaign against nutrient-dense foods actually began last spring, when Michael Hartmann’s farm was linked to eight cases of infection from E.coli 0157-H7, apparently in his raw milk. That led to court-ordered embargoing of food from his farm.
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture and the Minnesota Department of Public Health could be seen as doing their jobs in that case, since people became sick. The problem is that the MDA, in particular, didn’t end its enforcement efforts with Hartmann. The MDA made a big part of its overall mission the destruction of anyone who had any connection to raw dairy, and nutrient-dense foods in general, totally apart from Hartmann.
On June 15, it conducted a raid on a Minneapolis food club, Traditional Foods Minnesota, and seized more than 50 different products, which didn’t include raw dairy, since the outlet didn’t sell raw milk. It accused Traditional Foods of operating without a license and violating zoning laws, and the outlet has been shut down ever since, as its owners seek to comply with seemingly endless red tape created by MDA, together with the city of Minneapolis.
As for the food seized in that raid, I understand from sources close to the situation that all the foods were tested, at a cost approaching $40,000. The result? Some pickles were found to have been packed in liquid considered to have a high Ph reading.
After shutting down Traditional Foods Minnesota, the MDA sought to shut down Alvin Schlangen’s operations. He made raw milk available from a facility adjoining that of Traditional Foods Minnesota, as well as from his farm, along with eggs, meat, and even fresh citrus.
Wait, I’ll let Roettger tell the story, per his statement to a Minnesota judge in support of the search warrant he obtained to carry out yesterday’s raid.
“I have been assigned as the lead investigator in a case involving Alvin Schlangen. I have gathered information that leads me to believe that Mr. Schlangen is selling food not produced on his farm without a license and is selling unpasteurized milk to the public at locations other than the farm on which the milk was produced. Each act is a violation of Minnesota law…”
Hmmm, the fact he’s “the lead investigator” suggests he is leading a team of investigators. So let’s see, if Roettger is paid $80,000 a year (without benefits), and leads a team of investigators who are each paid $60,000 a year, the numbers are starting to add up. Along with the $40,000 to test all the food from Traditional Foods Minnesota, we’re into the hundreds of thousands of dollars…to take food from ordinary people.
Keep in mind, this has been going on since last June. According to Roettger’s statement, “In June 2010, inspectors with the Dairy and Food Inspection Division Department found Mr. Schlangen selling food of various types from space in the Traditional Foods Warehouse building…without having a license to sell food. Mr. Schlangen also was selling unpasteurized milk and butter and uninspected custom slaughtered meat at this location which could not legally be sold even with a license.”
Then, Roettger says, “A search warrant was executed at Mr. Schlangen’s farm in Stearns County on June 23, 2010. Mr. Schlangen produces and sells chicken eggs and chickens on his small (approximately 5 acre) farm. The search found evidence of illegal unlicensed food sales…”
On July 27, Roettger says, “MDA had an administrative meeting with Mr. Schlangen and again informed him not to sell any food that he did not prdouce without a license, not to sell unpasteurized milk and butter and not to sell uninspected custom slaughter meat.”
In December, “MDA inspectors inspected (not a sanitary inspection) Mr. Schlangen’s farm…and found evidence that he had been selling food that he had not produced on his farm without a license.”
But Roettger’s big break in the case was still to come, on Valentine’s Day, no less. “On February 14, 2011, I received a telephone call from a person who identified himself and sated that he is a tenant of the building” where Schlangen has facilities. I’m breathless as I read. “The tenant informed me of the following:…That Mr. Schlangen is storing and selling foods at that location, including apples, oranges, lemons, almonds, unpasteurized butter, and unpasteurized milk.” It goes on to say how Schlangen makes deliveries and brings in unpasteurized milk on Tuesdays.
Then yesterday, the big raid. Roettger obtained help from St. Paul police, and cornered Schlangen as he was dropping off food at a local college. Roettger looked inside the van, saw some citrus, which told his sharp investigative mind that Schlangen’s farm hadn’t grown it, and sought immediate approval of the search warrant, which was quickly delivered. (There’s an excellent account of the raid and aftermath at the blog of one of Schlangen’s food club members._)
The big problem with search warrants of this type is that the suspected criminal doesn’t get to present his side of the story. Nowhere in the search warrant is there the slightest hint of Schlangen’s defense–that he makes food available privately to members of his food club who sign a statement to that effect and pay an annual membership fee, and that he doesn’t sell to the general public.
But there’s another question as well. Why does the MDA insist on obtaining search warrants and harassing visits instead of simply taking suspects like Schlangen to court? In fact, despite eight months of harassment, or call it theft of food, legal charges have yet to be filed against Schlangen.
Maybe the answer is to be found in the case of Michael Hartmann. The state condemned thousands of dollars of his cheese and meat products last June, and recently sought to hold the farmer in contempt when the MDA discovered, just as it was about to have the food destroyed, that substantial amounts had disappeared.
Today, a state judge declined to find him in contempt when he said that the reason there was less food was that he and his family ate it…and everyone was still around to tell the story. Maybe the judge was saying that it’s okay to eat the food you produce. Maybe the MDA is afraid to challenge Alvin Schlangen’s right to distribute food privately to consenting adults, because they’ll have a similar defense–they obtained it privately…to eat it.
Schlangen remains committed to making nutrient-dense food available to individuals who want it. Late yesterday, he wrote this statement to supporters:
“This three day marathon to bring nutrient dense food to our network of families is so much more satisfying when we can actually deliver the food. This day showed, once again, the arrogance of our Dept of Ag and the collective ignorance of our rights as Americans and Minnesotans. We will not allow fear and aggression to undermine our principals as we continue to promote health through our food supply. It seems ironic to me that the very food items that were used to obtain a warrant to search and detain our farm delivery truck, (4# of oranges and 5# of grapefruit) were the only food items left behind after the looting was done.” ?
So, Elisa, you seem to have picked a difficult state to live in if it’s nutrient-dense food you’re after.
Are there any states that aren't difficult in obtaining the wanted nutrient-dense food?
http://www.slashfood.com/2011/03/08/u-n-small-scale-farming-could-double-the-worlds-food-productio/
"The United Nations released a whopper of a report today. In the midst of soaring global food and oil prices, the agency let loose a public stunner: World hunger and climate change cannot be solved with industrial farming. So much for seed-giant Pioneer Hi-Bred's "We Feed The World" slogan. Yowch."
Surely it couldn't be the pasteurization industry, could it? (sarcasm)
I know Im a little late. This is in relation to your last post on the FDAs John Sheehan and French Cheese
Sheehan says: …"In countries where pasteurization of milk is less common, outbreaks of foodborne illness attributed to tainted milk or milk products occur more frequently than they do in the United States. In France, for example, the rate of foodborne illness attributed to milk and milk products was reported to be roughly three times what it is in the U.S….
This is such a classic case of poor logic. Of course the rate is going to be higher. Since the French consume 10 to 20 times or higher volumes of raw milk, raw cheeses etc the rate will be higher than in countries where little is consumed.
To be logical or even fair we must look at the overall health effect to the French population. If our hypothesis ( we raw milk drinkers and producers) is correct, we would expect to find a lower incidence of total foodborne illness among the French explicitly because their regulators are not as bacteriophobic as ours.
Awhile back I stumbled upon this interesting bit of information. I quote:
Using FoodNet data from 19961998, the CDC shows the following rates of foodborne illness comparison between France and USA. (NOTE: All of the rates are per 100,000 inhabitants /yr.)
United States:
26,000 foodborne illnesses per 100,000
111 hospitalizations per 100,000
1.7 deaths per 100,000
France:
1,210 foodborne illnesses per 100,000
24 hospitalizations per 100,000
.09 deaths per 100,000
So, life is not risk free. There always will be illnesses. But, embracing the natural flora and micro-flora of the eco-system and therefore building a robust, virtually bullet-proof immunity, is considerably less risky than any other way.
I used to think that sharing the kind of info with the regulators would help them understand why we are not moved by their scare tactics/ sick children videos etc. But then I remember that it is almost impossible to get someone to understand a thing when their salary, position, prestige and ego depend on not understanding.
Another thing to consider about the French is their rate of obesity, which if I'm not mistaken is a fraction of American's obesity rate.
Thats the kind of logic that makes sense to people….but really pisses off the FDA Sheehans of the world. So keep on doing it!
Time will pass and people will wise up and things will change. Even Sheehan will change or be changed.
Some one needs to get that Buret off of Buret Boys head and throw it in a muddy mud puddle. He wears it like a special forces food commando. He has that military authority psuedo-FDA uniform crap going on in his head….you need to make life real for him….remind him that he is a human not some robot on dogma directives.
This is a time when concerted efforts by lots of people standing together in protest seems perfect. This is a time when enough is enough and the people need to hire an armored car truck agency to start delivering their raw milk to them….it only needs to be done for a week or two….the media will get the story and then CNN will get it and then your story will get out.
Your story is that…the great free people of Minnesota can not seem to get their raw milk transported from the trusted farmer to their homes with out being ambushed hijacked and or stolen. The armored car company needs to be well armed and carrying money as well.
I guarantee that Buret Boy will not attempt to mess with some very bad ass ex-blackwater commando that has been paid to serve and deliver raw milk to some very hungry mother lions and their starving young. If that does not get the press all wet nothing will.
You people in Minnesota need to create an incident to attract some attention. Stop being so damned nice. Buret Boy is a thief and a coward.
No charges yet….yes he is a thief. He is stealing your rights and your health.
That is personal. Make this personal. We added two more stores to our routes in CA including the Blue Lake Indian Rancheria selling raw milk inside of Humboldt County were that is illegal.
Get tenaciously creative and throw that Buret in the Mud Puddle. His horse is not that high….you pay his paycheck!!!!
Mark
John Sheehan and his colleagues at the FDA are experts at what is known as "cherry picking." They look for the studies or examples that "prove" their points on raw dairy and foodborne illness, and ignore all evidence that might undermine their position. Usually, that means ignoring big-picture data, since invariably that doesn't say what the FDA wants it to say. Very sad. Thanks for digging this up for us. There will surely be more to come on the data front.
David
cp
"Crews have already scooped and hauled away more than 85 tons of fish to a composting center where they will turn into fertilizer."
http://www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/sf/pubs/domoicacid.htm
http://antoine.frostburg.edu/chem/senese/101/features/domoic.shtml
They are contaminated with a neurotoxin that affects humans and they will be making fertilizer with it?? Is this population control?
"means ignoring big-picture data, since invariably that doesn't say what the FDA wants it to say. Very sad. "
Appears TPTB ignore vast amounts of data for many issues, especially when it doesn't fit their agenda. Beyond sad.
http://www.razoo.com/story/Farmer-Labor-Tractorcade-Fund?1299566160
Your question might seem relevant but it is not….
The overall death and illness rate in a country is directly related to that countries citizens immune status and that means unprocessed whole food consumption and access.
That also means drinking Raw milk, eating probiotic fermented foods and reduced use of preservatives, sterilization practices and knee jerk reactive abuse and over use of antibiotics.
In France the drug pharma mafia is under control can not push its drugs on people in the media like it does in the USA.
The sum total of the diet gives a very good indication of the sum total of its effect on the overall population. Even if the number of illnesses in France was higher from raw cheese or raw milk ( I have no reason to believe it is…but for the sake of argument ) what matters is that the over all dietary results in less death and less illness.
This is the true measure and honest data missing in the USA. Instead we have more than 100,000 people dying each year from hospital related infections and MSRA and VRA not to mention asthma deaths, obesity deaths and all the other Pharma deaths caused by our neglected and brutalized immune systems.
The Mediterranean diet has been shown to be much healthier than US swill. This is not a convenient truth for Sheehan and his FDA PMO CAFO NCIMS cronies.It appears not convenient for you either. I just bet you hate the fact that raw milk has not killed anyone in the last 37 years and pasteurized milk and pasteurized dairy products have killed at least 620 in that same period and pasteurized cheeses and ice cream are on the top ten risky foods list and pasteurized milk is the most allergenic food in America for children….
Raw Milk is none of these things. Does this just turn your gut????
Join us in the sunshine and stop lurking in the FDA darkness.
Mark
" foodborne health" in the equation.
We cannot continue allowing them to conclude that "enriched" flour used in twinkies is equitable to the real vitamins from real food.
You can't just count how many people get sick from pathogens.
You have to include those that are ill due to empty calories, low nutrient food, pesticides,
chemicals, etc.
The French are also more socialistic, have stronger labor unions, and have profound respect for small farmers and their agricultural & culinary traditions. Artisinal raw milk cheeses are not merely "legal", they are protected and defined by law to prevent commercial/industrial immitation.
Today Madison, WI had over 200,000 people protesting on the capital square against the union-busting policies of the Walker administration. The morning protest was organized by various family farm groups, and featured dozens of family farmers driving their tractors around the capital square.
Today, I am proud to be from Wisconsin, despite the evil that our government is trying to impose on us. WE WILL FIGHT BACK. We will have legal raw milk in Wisconsin, and we will lead the fight against corporate power and government corruption for the coming decades!
Article and videos of the "Tractorcade" protest against the Walker Administration.
http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/govt-and-politics/article_9f189108-4cbc-11e0-b9b8-001cc4c002e0.html
This is misleading to many people. It appears to be "assumed" that "enriched" means healthy with added vitamins. Not the case at all.
http://www.annarbor.com/entertainment/food-drink/please-label-unbromated-flour/
http://thecoachingpair.com/blog/your-bread-may-be-damaging-your-thyroid/
Another contributor to the endemic of osteoporsis, and other illnesses? Other countries ban items, yet our govt allows and appears to encourage the poisoning of its population.
http://www.iodine-resource.com/potassium-bromate.html
http://adventofdeception.com/bromide-bread-azodicarbonamide
http://breastcancerchoices.org/bromidedominancetheory.html
Why is it "ok" to sell this (and other) poison to the masses and not raw milk?
I am glad Wi had a good turn out, it will open more eyes and hopefully more will speak out.
Mark, this is a very sick statement to make; suggesting that I would be disappointed that no one has died from drinking raw milk. You are an odd man. Something is not quite right upstairs in that brain of yours.
I was merely asking if there was a comparison between the # raw milk illnesses in France vs. America. I actually thought it was a good question and your pathetic reaction proves it was.
cp
http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/abs/10.1089/fpd.2010.0731
Full paper posted here:
http://www.marlerblog.com/uploads/image/fpd.2010.0731%5B1%5D.pdf
MW
"Eighty-three fluid milkborne outbreaks were reported between 1990 and 2006, resulting in 3621 illnesses. The mean number of illnesses per outbreak was 43.6 (illness range: 21644). Consumption of unpasteurized milk was associated with 55.4% of reported outbreaks."
Do you then agree with the following math derived from this study recap: 3621 illnesses times 55.4% for raw milk equals 2006 raw milk illnesses over 17 years, or an average of 118 raw milk illnesses per year?
http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2007/oct2007_report_potassium_iodide_01.htm
http://www.anbex.com/index.php
Could a significant amount of radiation from the nuclear emergencies in Japan reach the USA; I do not know. FYI from a reference book Radiological Information for Farmers:
Protecting farm animals and products
Why is it so important to protect dairy animals?
One of the materials a nuclear accident could release is Iodine-131. If a person or animal eats food or drinks water with Iodine-131 it gets into the body. Cows with Iodine-131 produce contaminated milk. Humans can be harmed if they drink the milk or eat the dairy products. So, protecting your dairy animals is important. By protecting them, you keep the supply of dairy products pure. And you protect people from the harmful Iodine-131.
How can I protect my dairy animals? Products?
You should do these things to protect your dairy animals:
Take the animals out of the pasture. Dont let them graze.
Keep them inside if possible.
Feed them only stored food.
Water them only from protected water supplies.
Use protected self-feeders and automatic waters if you have them.
http://www.marlerblog.com/uploads/image/fpd.2010.0731%5B1%5D.pdf).
A neighbor of mine used to sell her raw goat milk to the closest nuclear power plan for weekly testing. I believe it took something like 9 to 10 days for the fallout from the Chernobyl disaster to show up in her milk in the United States.
A neighbor of mine used to sell her raw goat milk to the closest nuclear power plant for weekly testing. I believe it took something like 9 to 10 days for the fallout from the Chernobyl disaster to show up in her milk in the United States.
Second, nutrient density is defined as a ratio of food energy from carbohydrate, protein or fat to the total food energy. To calculate nutrient density (in percent), divide the food energy (in calories or joules) from one particular nutrient by the total food energy in the given food.
Third, nutrient density is understood as the ratio of the nutrient composition of a given food to the nutrient requirements of the human Most commonly, nutrient density is defined as a ratio of nutrient content (in grams) to the total energy content (in kilocalories or joules). Nutrient-dense food is opposite to energy-dense food (also called "empty calorie" food). According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005, nutrient-dense foods are those foods that provide substantial amounts of vitamins and minerals and relatively few calories. Fruits and vegetables are the nutrient-dense foods, while products containing added sugars, processed cereals, and alcohol are not.[1][2][3]
Second, nutrient density is defined as a ratio of food energy from carbohydrate, protein or fat to the total food energy. To calculate nutrient density (in percent), divide the food energy (in calories or joules) from one particular nutrient by the total food energy in the given food.
Third, nutrient density is understood as the ratio of the nutrient composition of a given food to the nutrient requirements <a href="http://businessemailaccount.net/">of</a> the human body. Therefore, a nutrient-dense food is the food that delivers a complete nutritional package. Therefore, a nutrient-dense food is the food that delivers a complete nutritional package.