LA's Upscale Grocery Chain Erewhon Drops Meyenberg Goat Milk Amidst Animal Cruelty Concerns
For immediate release
Contacts:
Cassie King, DxE Communications Lead, (510) 507-8075, cassie@directactioneverywhere.com
Dash Nye, DxE LA Press Coordinator, (510) 209-8198, dashnye@live.com
LA's Upscale Grocery Chain Erewhon Drops Meyenberg Goat Milk Amidst Animal Cruelty Concerns
Direct Action Everywhere Los Angeles campaigned to urge the grocery chain to cut ties with Meyenberg, after the group’s investigation at a Meyenberg dairy exposed emaciated, ill goats and an illegal dead pile
Photos/Videos of Meyenberg’s Vera Goat Dairy
(Credit: Direct Action Everywhere)
June 30, 2026, Los Angeles, CA - The upscale Los Angeles grocery chain Erewhon has shared that it will no longer sell Meyenberg Goat Milk products, following a campaign by the Los Angeles chapter of the animal rights group Direct Action Everywhere (DxE). Meyenberg is the nation’s largest goat milk producer. In 2025, DxE conducted a months-long investigation into a Meyenberg-supplying farm called Vera Goat Dairy in Stratford, California which exposed dozens of dead mother and baby goats regularly being dumped into an illegal dead pile on the property.
In a statement shared Monday, Erewhon said, “We take animal welfare concerns seriously and have reviewed the information provided…we do not plan to continue purchasing Meyenberg going forward.”
Necropsy testing of two deceased baby goats investigators collected from the dead pile found coccidia parasites, "bacterial bronchopneumonia, most likely caused by Escherichia coli," and "marked emaciation" "with no fat reserves and severe muscle atrophy,” suggesting these baby goats may have starved to death.
Four DxE investigators who documented the animal cruelty at the Meyenberg dairy are facing felony charges for their open rescue of two emaciated, sick baby goats from the facility. Their trial is expected to take place later this year in Kings County.
“There’s nothing humane about how these goats are treated,” said Sally Zito, an organizer with Direct Action Everywhere Los Angeles and one of the felony defendants who exposed the conditions at the Meyenberg dairy. “I’m grateful Erewhon is doing the right thing and dropping this cruel supplier.”
According to The Economist, Erewhon “has emerged as the grocer of choice for celebrities from Hailey Bieber to the Kardashians.” The micro-chain’s website says it’s a registered B-corporation — a certification for meeting high ethical standards — and committed to animal welfare. However, DxE says its research found that some of Erewhon’s animal-based products trace back to factory farms.
“We started these protests because it's too easy for businesses to ignore the factory farm cruelty behind their products,” said Dash Nye, an organizer with Direct Action Everywhere Los Angeles. “Erewhon is a big deal in my city and its commitment today makes me hopeful that Los Angeles can continue to create a better world for animals.”
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Investigators with Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) enter farms, slaughterhouses, and other facilities to document abuses and rescue sick and injured animals. DxE’s investigatory work has been featured in The New York Times, WIRED, and Vox. DxE activists have been subjected to FBI raids and felony prosecutions for their investigative work. In 2022, DxE activists won the first-ever acquittal in an open rescue case. Visit DxE on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and at directactioneverywhere.com.
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