California Did Little to Punish a Raw Milk Farm After Two Girls Got Sick

A California mother bought unlabeled raw goat milk from a small farm called Moonlight Ridge after social-media recommendations, hoping it would ease her 17-month-old daughter Brooklyn’s constipation. Brooklyn and, weeks later, a 6-year-old girl named Victoria fell gravely ill with the same strain of E. coli and required intensive hospital care. Texts and Facebook messages show the farm’s owner, Courtney Baker, sold gallons of raw milk directly to customers, repeatedly assuring buyers her herd was “clean and tested,” and continued advertising after learning Brooklyn was sick. An undercover state investigator confirmed the farm sold milk for human consumption.

California law allows raw milk sales only from licensed, inspected dairies that label products and test for pathogens; selling without a license can bring fines up to $10,000 and up to a year in jail. Investigators amassed strong evidence - hospital records, months of text admissions, and an undercover purchase - yet state and county agencies stopped short of pursuing punitive action. Regulators’ inaction left a clear enforcement gap as black‑market dairies proliferate, fueled by influencers and misinformation, and missed an opportunity to deter sellers whose practices put vulnerable children at risk.