Network of raw camel milk operations spurs FDA warnings

A Saudi entrepreneur who runs a California-based raw milk network that stretches across the United States is on notice from the FDA to stop making illegal claims about the therapeutic benefits of unpasteurized milk, including raw camel milk. In a warning letter dated Sept. 15, 2016, and recently made public, the Food and Drug Administration threatened to seize products and/or seek an injunction against Walid Abdul-Wahab and his Santa Monica-based Desert Farms company.   Among the claims identified as illegal by the FDA are references to raw camel milk helping people with tuberculosis, diabetes and autism. The Desert Farms website and Facebook page also claimed unpasteurized camel milk could cure allergies and Crohn’s disease. “Your products are not generally recognized as safe and effective for the above referenced uses,” states the warning letter.