"Who is buying this?!" Has Erewhon's 'raw animal smoothie' taken L.A. health food too far?

I was astatine a cocktail statement a fewer months agone successful Studio City when, suddenly, 1 speech roseate supra nan din of guest’s chatter, and quickly arrived astatine a consensus: Erewhon had gone excessively far.

“Animal organs, crushed up!” 1 impermanent squealed, crinkling his nose.

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

They were referring to nan luxury market store’s “Raw Animal Smoothie,” a concoction of Kefir (fermented milk), beef organs, alleged Immunomilk (freeze-dried cow’s colostrum, which is its first bosom beverage aft giving birth), earthy honey, blueberries, bananas, lucuma consequence sweetener, coconut cream, oversea brackish and maple syrup.

Erewhon’s “Raw Animal Smoothie”

(Deborah Vankin / Los Angeles Times)

The beverage is 1 of galore celebrity and influencer collaborations wrong Erewhon’s extended smoothie universe. This 1 credited to fittingness influencer Dr. Paul Saladino, writer of “The Carnivore Code,” who proselytizes nan wellness benefits of eating animal organs. He says they assistance pinch immunity, gut health, weight nonaccomplishment and bony strength, among different things. His Austin-based company, Heart & Soil, provides nan beef organs and Immunomilk for Erewhon’s Raw Animal Smoothie. Erewhon’s website describes it arsenic having a “creamy texture pinch a hint of sweetness and a touch of tartness.”

You whitethorn beryllium thinking: Ew. And also: How? But, contempt nan smoothie’s charismatic sanction — “Dr. Paul’s Raw Animal-Based Smoothie” — there’s 1 elephantine asterisk to this gambit. Erewhon says nan operation of uncooked beef livers, hearts, pancreases, kidneys and spleens swirling done nan coconut pick successful nan beverage should not beryllium considered “raw.”

“They’re desiccated, aliases freeze-dried, to sphere nan organs arsenic a nutrient-dense powder,” a typical of nan shop said via email.

Erewhon’s Organic Tonic Bars, wherever their frothy smoothies are made caller to order, person cultivated a posh segment unto themselves. Lithe, well-groomed customers successful Gucci flip flops and leisurewear regularly crowd these areas astatine each times of nan time successful Erewhon’s 10 L.A. locations.

New smoothie partnerships, developed successful conjunction pinch — and heavy promoted by — celebrities and societal media stars are announced regularly. Others see Kendall Jenner’s $23 “Peaches and Cream Smoothie,” nan astir costly connected nan menu, and a precocious released “Sunscreen Smoothie,” a oversea bluish and cloudy swirl inspired by nan sunscreen marque Vacation. “Hailey Bieber’s $19 Strawberry Glaze Skin Smoothie” is by acold nan store’s astir celebrated since debuting successful 2022 alongside Bieber’s skincare line, Rhode.

But nan Raw Animal Smoothie, which debuted connected nan paper a twelvemonth ago, mightiness beryllium nan store’s biggest conversation-starter yet.

“Who is buying this?!” 1 shopper ranted connected TikTok. “I conscionable can’t — like, it makes maine want to barf looking astatine nan ingredients. If you are super-rich and you’re spending your money connected this smoothie, if this is thing you’re into, I request immoderate explanations.”

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

“You tin consciousness nan robust successful this. It’s a small spot beefy,” a instrumentality of nan portion said successful a TikTok post captioned “Worth it.”

The portion whitethorn beryllium clickbait, but it besides speaks to a increasing manner inclination that espouses going backmost to basics. And by that, we mean nan Neanderthal era. A measurement beyond trends for illustration nan Paleo (or caveman) diet, it includes eating earthy meat; rising and sleeping pinch nan rhythms of nan sun; and “barefoot” stepping aliases moving successful thin aliases nary shoes (or sneakers pinch nan bottommost trim out).

Erewhon’s Raw Animal Smoothie fits correct into this. But astatine what cost? With an outbreak of H5N1 “bird flu” sweeping done dairy cows successful nan U.S., is it safe to ingest unpasteurized beverage correct now — aliases ever?

Only 4 cases of “bird flu” person been detected successful humans since March, truthful nan existent nationalist wellness consequence is low, nan Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. But it recommends avoiding unpasteurized dairy successful general, arsenic drinking earthy beverage “can lead to superior wellness risks, particularly for definite susceptible populations,” it states connected its website.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration adds that it’s unclear arsenic to whether aliases not nan H5N1 viruses tin beryllium transmitted done consuming earthy colostrum from infected cows. But it advises against drinking unpasteurized beverage ever, arsenic it whitethorn harbor germs starring to superior wellness issues, specified arsenic Salmonella, E. coli and Listeria.

What astir earthy meat, freeze-dried aliases otherwise? No, says nan United States Department of Agriculture.

“There are a batch of different trends now pinch group encouraging eating earthy meat, but nan reality is it’s still a really risky point to do without knowing if location is germs causing nutrient borne illnesses,” said USDA Food Safety Specialist, Meredith Carothers. “When you trim nan moisture — fundamentally barren it retired [by freeze-drying] — nan germs mightiness not beryllium capable to multiply and thrive, but it does not termination it.”

Erewhon stands down nan “nutrient dense” ingredients successful its Raw Animal Smoothie, but makes 1 point clear: “We are not a healthcare provider, and we do not make wellness claims astir our products. If you are willing successful exploring wellness benefits, we promote you to research nan technological lit connected nan smoothie’s ingredients,” nan typical said.

Obviously, Erewhon’s gleaming nutrient aisles are a acold outcry from a doctor’s office. But nan store’s remark lays plain an important distinction: Erewhon doesn’t return work for your health, conscionable for making you feel healthy.

With that successful mind, I took my wellness into my ain hands, and made a travel to nan Silver Lake Erewhon.

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

“She buys 1 each Saturday and Sunday,” Guevara said. “It makes her consciousness stronger.”

If Maria could do it, truthful could I. At first sip, I gagged ever-so-slightly, visions of Looney Tunes farm animals dancing done my head. But it was a sweltering afternoon; and glistening beads of condensation dribbled down nan extracurricular of nan integrative cup, which was topped pinch generous amounts of heavy coconut pick drizzled pinch honey. It looked beyond refreshing.

When I was able to put nan ingredients retired of mind, it went down easily. The smoothie was off-the-charts yummy — rich | and saccharine and creamy, pinch notes of blueberry and banana and a lingering coconut base. Erewhon says it’s 1 of nan store’s top-selling smoothies and is now a staple connected nan menu.

As I sipped, I noticed 3 customers, pinch identical pink-hued smoothies (unmistakably Hailey Biebers) successful hand, clustered together by nan entrance. The 19-year-olds were visiting Los Angeles from Arkansas for nan week. On nan agenda: nan Hollywood sign, nan Hollywood Walk of Fame, nan Santa Monica Pier and … Erewhon. They regularly ogle nan luxury store’s jewel-toned smoothies connected societal media and wanted a sip of nan aspirational lifestyle.

“You spot them connected TikTok — it makes you want to beryllium portion of it,” 1 of them, Natalie Vivar, said of Erewhon’s smoothies.

Parsons School of Design student Jordan Ben-Yehuda , 20, added that nan beverages’ precocious prices lucifer nan luxurious vibe of nan store.

“It feels exclusive being here, it makes you consciousness special,” she said, awaiting her drink. “This store, it’s for illustration nan Louis Vuitton of supermarkets.”

Even so, she wasn’t rather fresh to effort nan Animal Smoothie.

“It doesn’t peculiarly entreaty to me,” Ben-Yehuda said. “But if it’s marketed arsenic healthy, and sold astatine a shop for illustration this, who americium I to mobility it? It’s Erewhon.”