“Who is buying this?!” Has Erewhon’s ‘raw animal smoothie’ taken L.A. health food too far? (2024)

I was at a co*cktail party a few months ago in Studio City when, suddenly, one conversation rose above the din of guest’s chatter, and quickly arrived at a consensus: Erewhon had gone too far.

“Animal organs, ground up!” one guest squealed, crinkling his nose.

“Oh my god, yes,” his friend agreed. “Erewhon’s smoothies are Out. Of. Control!”

They were referring to the luxury grocery store’s “Raw Animal Smoothie,” a concoction of Kefir (fermented milk), beef organs, so-called Immunomilk (freeze-dried cow’s colostrum, which is its initial breast milk after giving birth), raw honey, blueberries, bananas, lucuma fruit sweetener, coconut cream, sea salt and maple syrup.

The beverage is one of many celebrity and influencer collaborations within Erewhon’s extended smoothie universe. This one credited to fitness influencer Dr. Paul Saladino, author of “The Carnivore Code,” who proselytizes the health benefits of eating animal organs. He says they aid with immunity, gut health, weight loss and bone strength, among other things. His Austin-based company, Heart & Soil, provides the beef organs and Immunomilk for Erewhon’s Raw Animal Smoothie. Erewhon’s website describes it as having a “creamy texture with a hint of sweetness and a touch of tartness.”

You may be thinking: Ew. And also: How? But, despite the smoothie’s official name — “Dr. Paul’s Raw Animal-Based Smoothie” — there’s one giant asterisk to this gambit. Erewhon says the mix of uncooked beef livers, hearts, pancreases, kidneys and spleens swirling through the coconut cream in the beverage should not be considered “raw.”

“They’re desiccated, or freeze-dried, to preserve the organs as a nutrient-dense powder,” a representative of the store said via email.

Erewhon’s Organic Tonic Bars, where their frothy smoothies are made fresh to order, have cultivated a posh scene unto themselves. Lithe, well-groomed customers in Gucci flip flops and leisurewear regularly crowd these areas at all times of the day in Erewhon’s 10 L.A. locations.

New smoothie partnerships, developed in conjunction with — and heavily promoted by — celebrities and social media stars are announced regularly. Others include Kendall Jenner’s $23 “Peaches and Cream Smoothie,” the most expensive on the menu, and a recently released “Sunscreen Smoothie,” a sea blue and cloudy swirl inspired by the sunscreen brand Vacation. “Hailey Bieber’s $19 Strawberry Glaze Skin Smoothie” is by far the store’s most popular since debuting in 2022 alongside Bieber’s skincare line, Rhode.

But the Raw Animal Smoothie, which debuted on the menu a year ago, might be the store’s biggest conversation-starter yet.

“Who is buying this?!” one shopper ranted on TikTok. “I just can’t — like, it makes me want to barf looking at the ingredients. If you are super-rich and you’re spending your money on this smoothie, if this is something you’re into, I need some explanations.”

There are scores of people online who’ve filmed their own taste-tests, plenty of them positive.

“You can feel the iron in this. It’s a little bit beefy,” a fan of the drink said in a TikTok post captioned “Worth it.”

The drink may be clickbait, but it also speaks to a growing lifestyle trend that espouses going back to basics. And by that, we mean the Neanderthal era. A step beyond trends like the Paleo (or caveman) diet, it includes eating raw meat; rising and sleeping with the rhythms of the sun; and “barefoot” walking or running in thin or no shoes (or sneakers with the bottom cut out).

A selection of smoothie’s including Dr. Pauls Raw Animal-Based Smoothie are seen at Erewhon in Culver City.

(Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times)

Erewhon’s Raw Animal Smoothie fits right into this. But at what cost? With an outbreak of H5N1 “bird flu” sweeping through dairy cows in the U.S., is it safe to ingest unpasteurized milk right now — or ever?

Only nine cases of “bird flu” have been detected in humans since March, so the current public health risk is low, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. But it recommends avoiding unpasteurized dairy in general, as drinking raw milk “can lead to serious health risks, especially for certain vulnerable populations,” it states on its website.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration adds that it’s unclear as to whether or not the H5N1 viruses can be transmitted through consuming raw colostrum from infected cows. But it advises against drinking unpasteurized milk ever, as it may harbor germs leading to serious health issues, such as Salmonella, E. coli and Listeria.

What about raw meat, freeze-dried or otherwise? No, says the United States Department of Agriculture.

“There are a lot of different trends now with people encouraging eating raw meat, but the reality is it’s still a really risky thing to do without knowing if there is bacteria causing food borne illnesses,” said USDA Food Safety Specialist, Meredith Carothers. “When you reduce the moisture — basically dry it out [by freeze-drying] — the bacteria might not be able to multiply and thrive, but it does not kill it.”

Erewhon stands behind the “nutrient dense” ingredients in its Raw Animal Smoothie, but makes one thing clear: “We are not a healthcare provider, and we do not make health claims about our products. If you are interested in exploring health benefits, we encourage you to explore the scientific literature on the smoothie’s ingredients,” the representative said.

Obviously, Erewhon’s gleaming produce aisles are a far cry from a doctor’s office. But the store’s comment lays plain an important distinction: Erewhon doesn’t take responsibility for your health, just for making you feel healthy.

With that in mind, I took my health into my own hands, and made a trip to the Silver Lake Erewhon.

The raw smoothie has been popular, cashier Ahly Guevara told me. She doesn’t drink it herself, but her 70-year-old grandmother, Maria, swears by it.

“She buys one every Saturday and Sunday,” Guevara said. “It makes her feel stronger.”

A customer checks out from an Erewhon store in Culver City.

(Dania Maxwell/Los Angeles Times)

If Maria could do it, so could I. At first sip, I gagged ever-so-slightly, visions of Looney Tunes farm animals dancing through my head. But it was a sweltering afternoon; and glistening beads of condensation dribbled down the outside of the plastic cup, which was topped with generous amounts of thick coconut cream drizzled with honey. It looked beyond refreshing.

When I was able to put the ingredients out of mind, it went down easily. The smoothie was off-the-charts yummy — rich and sweet and creamy, with notes of blueberry and banana and a lingering coconut base. Erewhon says it’s one of the store’s top-selling smoothies and is now a staple on the menu.

As I sipped, I noticed three customers, with identical pink-hued smoothies (unmistakably Hailey Biebers) in hand, clustered together by the entrance. The 19-year-olds were visiting Los Angeles from Arkansas for the week. On the agenda: the Hollywood sign, the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Santa Monica Pier and … Erewhon. They regularly ogle the luxury store’s jewel-toned smoothies on social media and wanted a sip of the aspirational lifestyle.

“You see them on TikTok — it makes you want to be part of it,” one of them, Natalie Vivar, said of Erewhon’s smoothies.

Parsons School of Design student Jordan Ben-Yehuda , 20, added that the beverages’ high prices match the luxurious vibe of the store.

“It feels exclusive being here, it makes you feel special,” she said, awaiting her drink. “This store, it’s like the Louis Vuitton of supermarkets.”

Even so, she wasn’t quite ready to try the Animal Smoothie.

“It doesn’t particularly appeal to me,” Ben-Yehuda said. “But if it’s marketed as healthy, and sold at a store like this, who am I to question it? It’s Erewhon.”