Raw milk from Green Acres Jersey Farm, 725 Prescott Road, Lebanon, Pennsylvania may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes and should be discarded, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture officials warn. The potentially contaminated milk was sold with the Green Acres Jersey Farm label in plastic gallon and half gallon containers labeled “raw milk” directly to consumers and in an on-farm retail store.
The problem was discovered during required routine testing The farm’s owner, Jonathan Smoker, has been ordered to stop all raw milk sales until further notice. Followup testing is required. Before sales can resume, two samples, taken at least 24 hours apart, must test negative.
About 160 farms sell raw milk or raw milk cheese in Pennsylvania, where raw milk sales are legal. Farms that sell raw milk must be permitted and inspected by the agriculture department to reduce health risks associated with unpasteurized products.
No illnesses have been associated with this product. But consumers who have purchased it should not drink as Listeria can cause serious, sometimes fatal injury. Symptoms typically develop 1-3 weeks after exposure, but may appear as soon as 3 days or as long as 70 days after consumption. They include fever, stiff neck, muscle aches, headache, nausea or diarrhea. Among pregnant women, Listeria can cause miscarriage or stillbirth.
