Cozy Vale Creamery, located in Tenino, Washington, is recalling raw milk and raw cream products for possible E. coli contamination. This recall was triggered when routine sampling that was conducted by the Washington State Department of Agriculture revealed the presence of toxin-producing E. coli in retail raw whole milk that was dated 02-18-24. No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with the consumption of these products as of February 16, 2024. This information was provided in an email alert. There is no mention of this recall on the Washington State Department of Agriculture or the Washington State Department of Health web sites yet.
The recall notice did not mention the specific serotype of E. coli that was found in the raw milk, but they did add this paragraph, “Shiga toxin-producing E. coli infections may cause severe diarrhea, stomach cramps and bloody stool. Symptoms generally appear three to four days after exposure, but can take as long as nine days to appear. In some cases, the infection causes hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious disease in which red blood cells are destroyed resulting in kidney failure. Infants, children, pregnant women, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems are especially at risk.”
The recalled products are Cozy Vale Creamery retail raw milk and cream products that are packaged in gallon, half-gallon, quart, and pint containers. The best by dates for these products are 2-18-24 through 2-29-24.
The milk and cream was distributed to several retail locations in western Washington, including Good Health Nutrition in Centralia, Organic 101 in Montesano, Tenino Market Fresh, Marlene’s Market in Federal Way and Tacoma, Yelm Food Co-Op, and Olympia Food Co-Op. Officials are working with the dairy to make sure that store locations have been notified about this recall.
If you bought this milk or cream, do not consume it, even if you are going to cook with it, because of the possibility of cross-contamination. You can throw it away or return it to the place of purchase for a refund.
If you drank this milk or cream, monitor your health for the symptoms of a Shiga toxin-producing E. coli infection. If you do get sick, see your doctor. Children under the age of five may develop hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which is a type of kidney failure, after an E. coli infection.
