Raw Milk

Farm Country Cheese House Recalls Raw Cheddar for Listeria

December 25, 2014 by Linda Larsen

Farm Country Cheese House Raw Milk Cheddar Recall

Farm Country Cheese House of Michigan is recalling 1136 pounds of Raw Milk Cheddar cheese because it may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes bacteria. No illnesses have been reported to date, but listeriosis, the illness caused by this bacteria, can take up to 70 days to manifest. The recalled product was packaged under two different labels. The first has the Farm Country Cheese House logo on the far left hand side, and the product name of Raw Milk Cheddar on top of the label. It is sold as an 8 ounce block. The product has "Use by Date" on the back of the cheese. Those dates are between October 28, 2015 and December 5, 2015. The label also has a Julian Date in the lower right hand corner: 14301, 14302, 14308, 14309, 14324, 14325, 14332, 14336, or 14339. The second label has … [Read more...]

Filed Under: News, Recalls Tagged With: Food Recall, Listeria Monocytogenes, Raw Milk

Wisconsin Issues Final Report on Durand Raw Milk Campylobacter Outbreak

December 18, 2014 by Carla Gillespie

A final report about the raw milk Campylobacter outbreak in Durand, Wisc. has been issued by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS). The 25-page report confirms that the September outbreak, which sickened 38 people and hospitalized 10 who attended a football team potluck dinner, was caused by contaminated raw milk. The report does not name the farm that provided the milk, referring to it throughout as Farm A, but the name of the farm was released by the state agriculture department in response to an open records request by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The owners of the Arkansaw, Wisc. farm, Roland and Diana Reed, did not tell attendees at the football potluck that the milk they contributed was unpasteurized. The Reeds sell their milk to a local cheese maker and are … [Read more...]

Filed Under: News, Outbreaks Tagged With: Campylobacter, Raw Milk

Despite Evidence, Farm Denies Link to Durand Raw Milk Campylobacter Outbreak

December 16, 2014 by Carla Gillespie

Despite evidence, the farm identified as the source of a Campylobacter raw milk outbreak that sickened dozens of people who attended a football banquet in Durand, Wisconsin is denying responsibility. Health officials say the outbreak strain found in stool samples taken from those who became ill is a genetic match to the strain found in samples collected from a dairy farm operated by Roland and Diana Reed in Arkansaw, Wis. Still, Diana Reed says, it could have been the chicken. "We need to do a lot of fact-finding before we start pointing fingers," she told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Any day now, the Wisconsin Department of Health is expected to release its final report on the outbreak, which sickened so many football players two football games had to be canceled. The report will … [Read more...]

Filed Under: News, Outbreaks Tagged With: Raw Milk

Flat Creek Farm Cheese Recalled for Possible Salmonella

December 15, 2014 by Kathy Will

Flat Creek Farm & Dairy of Swainsboro, Georgia is recalling three lots of cheese for possible Salmonella contamination. This is the second time in a year cheese has been recalled from this farm. No illnesses have been reported to date. The farm has been producing raw milk cheeses, but those products have all been destroyed. Flat Creek records show that all purchasers have been notified and all but 1.5 pounds of the cheese has been recovered. Two of the batches of raw milk cheese with lot codes 140702XAZ and 140725XGO have been tested by a lab and were negative, but were voluntarily recalled and destroyed by Flat Creek. The farm is no longer producing raw milk cheese and has begun "gently pasteurizing" its artisanal cheeses. The recalled products are Aztec Cheddar with lot … [Read more...]

Filed Under: News, Recalls Tagged With: Food Recall, Raw Milk, Salmonella

WI Names Farm Linked to Durand High School Campylobacter Outbreak

December 12, 2014 by Carla Gillespie

Wisconsin health officials say the source of a Campylobacter raw milk outbreak that sickened 38 people in Durand Wis. earlier this fall is a farm operated by Roland and Diana Reed in Arkansaw, Wis. The name of the farm was released in response to an open records request by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. At least 38 people in Durand contracted Campylobacter infections from raw milk that the Reeds served at a banquet for the Durand High School football team. Eight people were hospitalized. Banquet attendees were not told the milk provided for the banquet was unpasteurized. Dozens of the students who attended the banquet became sick. Two football games had to be canceled because so many players were seriously ill. Brianna Winnekins, a manager of the football team, was … [Read more...]

Filed Under: News, Outbreaks Tagged With: Campylobacter, Raw Milk

In Raw Milk Campylobacter Outbreak, Farmer Could Face Penalties

December 1, 2014 by Carla Gillespie

The farmer who supplied raw milk that sickened dozens who attended a football team's potluck dinner in Durand, Wisc. could face penalties or other enforcement actions, according to a local news report. The farmer, whose name has not been released by health officials, did not tell attendees that the milk was not pasteurized. At least 38 people, many of them high school students, contracted Campylobacter infections from the raw milk. Some students and athletes were so sick they were hospitalized. Two football games were canceled because so many players were seriously ill. After students recovered from the initial illness, families were left with medical bills and worries about long-term complications that Campylobacter infections can trigger such as reactive arthritis which causes … [Read more...]

Filed Under: News, Outbreaks Tagged With: Campylobacter, Raw Milk

South Dakota Campylobacter Cases Linked to Raw Milk

November 23, 2014 by Carla Gillespie

A recent outbreak in Durand, Wisconsin is the latest example of a Campylobacter outbreak linked to raw milk. It's a common pairing. The South Dakota Department of Health tracked Campylobacter cases from January 2012 to August 30, 2014. Of the 791 total cases of campylobacteriosis reported during that period, 42 were associated with raw milk, or about 5 percent. Most of those affected, 23 of the 42 cases , were children 19 and under. Ten case patients were 5 and under. The cases were reported in the following counties: Beadle, Brookings, Butte, Clark, Davison, Day, Faulk, Gregory, Haakon, Hamlin, Hanson, Kingsbury, Lawrence, Lincoln, Marshall, Meade, Miner, Minnehaha, Perkins, Roberts, Todd and Union. (Image from the South Dakota Department of Health.) … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Food Safety, News Tagged With: Campylobacter, Raw Milk

WI Raw Milk Outbreak Raises Ethical, Legal Questions

November 21, 2014 by Carla Gillespie

A raw milk outbreak that sickened 38 people in Durand, Wisconsin, is raising ethical and legal questions. The milk was served at a potluck for the football team on September 18. Many of those sickened were high school students. The parent who supplied the milk told no one that it had not pasteurized. Two days after the dinner, reports of illnesses started rolling in. Like other bacteria that causes food poisoning, Campylobacter produces symptoms including diarrhea that can be bloody, vomiting, abdominal cramping and fever. Eight people were hospitalized. So many of the football players were so sick for so long that the school had to forfeit two football games. The outbreak also triggered a massive cleaning effort at the school and, before the source of illness was determined, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Featured, News, Outbreaks Tagged With: Campylobacter, Raw Milk

Three in Tulare County, CA Sick with Salmonella from Cheese

November 19, 2014 by Linda Larsen

According to the Tulare County Public Health Department's Facebook page, three people in that county in Califonria have become ill with Salmonella from eating cheese purchased from an unlicensed cheese maker. A vendor in Woodlake is apparently selling these cheeses door-to-door. Leftover cheese was tested and was contaminated with Salmonella bacteria. The vendor has not been identified and may still be selling cheese. It is a violation of the California Retail Food Code to sell food without a permit, and a violation to make cheese in with no permit. The types of cheeses that may be contaminated are queso fresco, panela, queso seco, asadero, queso Oaxaca, queso Cotija, and crema. The products may be made with unpasteurized, or raw milk, that is often contaminated with pathogenic … [Read more...]

Filed Under: News, Outbreaks Tagged With: Raw Milk, Salmonella Outbreak, Soft Cheese

Raw Milk and Campylobacter: A Frequent Pair

November 19, 2014 by Carla Gillespie

Raw milk is a frequent source of Campylobacter outbreaks, as high school students in Durand, Wisconsin learned this fall. Thirty eight people developed Campylobacter infections when they unknowingly drank raw milk provided by a parent for a football banquet. The outbreak, which hospitalized eight people, left many students and players sick for weeks forcing the cancelation of two football games. It also triggered a massive cleaning effort at the school and prompted many students to stay home from class to avoid becoming ill. Campylobacter is a bacteria that causes illness when food or beverages contaminated with animal feces are consumed. Symptoms of campylobacteriosis include diarrhea, which is sometimes bloody, abdominal cramping, fever, nausea and vomiting. Serious, long-term … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Food Safety, News Tagged With: Campylobacter, Raw Milk