A Stearns County judge says a Freeport farmer must face all the charges against him in a raw milk case. Organic egg producer Alvin Schlangen had asked the judge to dismiss three of the six charges.
A Stearns County judge hasn't ruled on a motion to dismiss raw milk charges against a Freeport farmer. Judge Thomas Knapp has given lawyers three weeks to submit written arguments in the case.
Jurors have acquitted a Minnesota man accused of violating state laws by running a buying club that distributes raw milk from farmers to consumers. The Hennepin County jury on Thursday acquitted Alvin Schlangen on all counts.
The case of a Minnesota man charged with violating the state's raw milk laws has gone to the jury. Alvin Schlangen of Freeport is charged with three misdemeanor counts including distributing unpasteurized milk, operating without a food handler's license and handling adulterated food.
Advocates of raw milk have rallied outside the Hennepin County courthouse to support a farmer charged with food code violations for distributing unpasteurized milk. Alvin Schlangen, of Freeport, doesn't produce raw milk himself, but distributes it to over 100 consumers, mostly in the Twin Cities.
A Central Minnesota farmer who distributes raw milk goes on trial next week in a case that pits efforts to ensure a safe food supply against the rights of consumers to choose what they drink and eat.
Minnesota Department of Agriculture regulators are investigating a Freeport area farmer for allegedly selling raw milk and other food products illegally. According to a search warrant affidavit, Alvin Schlangen is believed to be selling raw milk from a south Minneapolis natural food warehouse and at a drop-off point in St. Paul. By law, raw milk can only be sold directly from farms.
Some legislators say it should be easier for Minnesota consumers to buy raw milk, a position that puts them at odds with health regulators and most of the state's dairy industry.