Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and the state agriculture division are taking civil action against a Detroit business that claims to provide all-natural foods and herbal remedies for a healthier lifestyle.
The complaint, filed on Feb. 11, is against The Moorish Science Temple, The Divine and National Movement of North America, Inc. No. 13, which operates Moor Herbs, a market and online store in northwest Detroit.
Moor Herbs, 16140 W. 7 Mile Road, is being cited by Nessel’s office and the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development for ignoring a cease-and-desist order and for violating Michigan’s food law.
“Michigan’s food law ensures that every food establishment — regardless of what community it is located in — meets minimum standards to ensure food safety,” Nessel said in a statement. “We will continue to partner with (the state agriculture department) to ensure every community has access to safe, healthy food, and will not hesitate to take action in instances where businesses ignore sanitation and food safety standards.”
The Attorney General’s office, according to a news release, said the business lacks food licenses and is practicing unsafe food production and continues to operate online and “post on social media about shipping orders and its plans to reopen. “
“By continuing to sell these highly questionable food products and failing to comply with the law, Defendant is putting the public health at risk for its own economic gain,” according to the complaint.
The complaint cited a product marketed as infant formula and called “Health Beauty Angel Formula.” Nessel’s office said the product was recalled after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration determined that it did not meet specific nutrition and labeling requirements for infant formula.
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The product was found to be lacking in vitamin D and its iron, sodium, and potassium contents were “well over the maximum allowed, which could potentially lead to iron overload and/or electrolyte imbalances.”
Moor Herbs failed to renew its food license, according to the complaint, beginning in May 2020.
Maria Lemay-Bey, the owner of Moor Herbs, acknowledged she received the complaint on Wednesday.
“We corrected what was cited in the first inspection and never got a second inspection,” Lemay-Bey said by phone.
She maintains that all the licensing is paid, everything is closed and she is not selling out of her home or business or on DoorDash.
“She’s making a lot of assumptions based on my DoorDash account, which is down and closed,” Lemay-Bey said.
State regulators inspected Moor Herbs’ storefront and found multiple violations of the Michigan Food Law. Agents seized products in July 2021 and the cease-and-desist order was issued on Aug. 12.
“Ensuring the safety of Michigan’s food supply is paramount,” said Gary McDowell, director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. “Consumers should be able to shop with confidence that a business has met sanitation and safety requirements and is providing them a safe product.”
MDARD also found Moor Herbs selling in-house blended and packaged products labeled with health claims including “tumor release,” “anti-viral,” “unvax” and “autism buster.”
The complaint, filed in Wayne Circuit Court, seeks to permanently prohibit Moor Herbs from a number of food-related practices including holding, selling or offering food for sale without a license, selling food obtained from a source that does not comply with federal, state, and local laws, manufacturing, selling, delivering, holding or offering for sale adulterated or misbranded food.
According to its Facebook page, Moor Herbs began in 2015 and serves as a “stepping stone in the age of all-natural herbal detoxification cleansing on the market.” The business is also listed as temporarily closed.
Its mission is listed as “uplifting fallen humanity” and helping educating one to a “healthier lifestyle.”
Contact Detroit Free Press food writer Susan Selasky and send food and restaurant news to: sselasky@freepress.com. Follow @SusanMariecooks on Twitter.
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