After an E. coli O103 outbreak in northwestern Missouri sickened three people, the Missouri Department of Agriculture suspended the plant license for Homestead Creamery of Jamesport. Three people in that state became sick after allegedly consuming cheese made at the creamery with unpasteurized, or raw, cow’s milk according to CBS St. Louis. The facility was reinspected by the Missouri State Milk Board on Tuesday, January 22, and notified of the license reinstatement on January 23.
Gena Terlizzi of the Missouri Department of Health told Food Poisoning Bulletin that there were one confirmed and two suspected cases of E. coli O103 in the northwestern part of the state. None of the cases required hospitalization and all have recovered.
Fred Pritzker, a national food safety attorney who has represented many cases of patients with E. coli, said “it’s important that people understand products made with raw milk can be contaminated with pathogenic bacteria. And especially anyone in a high risk group, including the very young, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems, should be cautious about consuming those products. Complications of an E. coli infection can be life-threatening.”
If you purchased Homestead Creamery’s Flory’s Favorite cheese that was included in this month’s recall, discard the remaining portion of it or return it to the place of purchase. The cheese, which is aged for 60 days, is labeled “Packed on 210.” It was sold at the Homestead Creamery facility in Jamesport, Missouri, and may have been sold by HyVee grocery stores in Liberty and Trenton, Missouri, Milton Creamery in Milton, Iowa, and Benedict Builders’ Farm in Knob Noster, Missouri.
