Production and sales of raw milk and raw cheese have been suspended at the farm of Norman Z. and Edith B. Sauder in Kutztown, Pa. after samples from the products tested positive for Salmonella.
Although an official recall has not been issued, state health officials are advising consumers and retailers not to eat or drink certain products produced on the Berks County farm including raw milk sold in plastic bottles and raw cheese with a date code of March 25, 2012. A retail distribution list has not yet been made available.
An official from the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture told Food Poisoning Bulletin that the dairy is a licensed raw milk provider and that the problem was discovered during routine, semi-annual testing. Laws governing the sale of raw milk vary from state to state. In Pennsylvania, the sale of raw milk is legal by licensed producers.
If ingested, Salmonella can cause an infection called salmonellosis. Symptoms of salmonellosis include diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps which set in 12 to 72 hours after infection and usually last between four and seven days. No illnesses associated with the raw milk products in question have been reported to the Pennsylvania Department of Health.
Earlier this year, another Pennsylvania dairy, The Family Cow in Chambersburg, was the source of the largest raw milk outbreak in Pennsylvania history. During that outbreak, raw milk tainted with Campylobacter sickened 80 people, nine of whom required hospitalization.
