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Following potential exposure to bacteria from unpasteurized milk sold at a farmers’ market in Missoula County, the Missoula City-County Health Department is warning residents of the dangers of consuming unpasteurized, or “raw,” milk. 

Milk that was recently sold at a local farmers market came from a herd where two cows tested positive for Coxiella burnetii, which is the bacteria that causes Q fever. While one of those cows had not yet produced milk, the other produced about 10% of the farmer’s yield. 

“We don’t know if the cow was shedding the bacteria at the time it was milked, or if that cow’s milk was sold at the farmers market,” said Environmental Health Director Shannon Therriault. “So, we can’t say for sure whether anyone was exposed. However, what we do know is that unpasteurized milk can contain harmful bacteria that can make you and your loved ones sick.”

Unpasteurized milk products have been linked to outbreaks of E. coli, campylobacter, salmonella, brucella, listeria and cryptosporidium. In the case of Q fever, symptoms can take two or three weeks to present following exposure. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, symptoms of Q fever include fever, chills, fatigue, headache, muscle aches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, chest pain, stomach pain, weight loss and a non-productive cough. 

“While drinking ‘raw’ milk has become more widespread in recent years, we want people to know that it can easily be contaminated with harmful bacteria, even when the milking operation is well-run,” Therriault said. 

In the 1980s, Missoula experienced a large salmonella outbreak caused by unpasteurized milk from a local dairy. More than 100 cases were linked to the outbreak, and half of those cases were children 14 and younger. The strain of salmonella was multi-drug resistant, and 15% of those who got sick were hospitalized. An inspection of the dairy revealed no sanitation laws or practices on the books at that time were broken. 

After that outbreak, Montana passed a law that all milk sold to consumers had to be pasteurized. The CDC reports that when milk pasteurization requirements began in the early 1990s, deaths and diarrheal illnesses in young children declined dramatically. In 2021, the legislature reversed course, and unpasteurized milk sales are now allowed in Montana under certain, limited conditions. Unpasteurized milk can be sold at a farm, farmers markets and other traditional community events, if the herd is five lactating cows or fewer, and the seller informs the end consumer that the product is not licensed, certified, packaged, labeled or inspected under any official regulations. 

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The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture warns that consumers should immediately discard “A Joy” brand raw milk products sold in Susquehanna County. Tests following a report of potential bacteria contamination confirmed the presence of listeria monocytogenes bacteria in half gallon and gallon plastic jugs at the A Joy Farm store at 21 Lalor Lane in Little Meadows, Susquehanna County.

The tainted raw milk may be unlabeled and undated, or may bear the A Joy label and A2 or “A2/A2” product description. The producer refused to issue a recall, post a notice, or supply a customer list for direct notification.

Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, an illness which has symptoms including fever, muscle aches, nausea, and diarrhea. Listeriosis mainly affects pregnant women, newborns, the elderly, and adults with impaired immune systems. Listeriosis in pregnant women can result in miscarriage, premature delivery, serious infection of the newborn, or stillbirth. 

No reported illnesses have been attributed to the product, but people who consumed the milk should consult their physicians if they become ill. 

New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets Commissioner Richard A. Ball today warned consumers not to consume unpasteurized raw milk from the farm of Eric and Jessica Nickol due to possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination.  The Eric and Jessica Nickol Farm is located at 995 County Highway 35, Maryland, NY 12116 in Otsego County. To date, no illnesses have been reported to the Department associated with this product.

A sample of the milk collected by an inspector from the Department was discovered to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. On November 9, 2022, the producer was notified of a preliminary positive test result. Further laboratory testing, completed on November 14, 2022, confirmed the presence of Listeria monocytogenes in the raw milk sample. The producer is now prohibited from selling raw milk until subsequent sampling indicates that the product is free of harmful bacteria.

The Department recommends that any consumers who purchased raw milk from the farm of Eric and Jessica Nickol immediately dispose of it and call the farm at 607-386-3951.

Listeria monocytogenes causes listeriosis, which can be a serious and sometimes fatal infection in young children, cancer patients, elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. It can also cause short-term, flu-like symptoms, such as high fever, severe headaches, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain, and diarrhea. Listeriosis can cause miscarriages and stillbirths in pregnant women.

It is important to note that raw milk does not provide the protection of pasteurization. Pasteurization is a process that heats milk to a specific temperature for a set period of time. Pasteurization kills the bacteria responsible for numerous illnesses and diseases such as listeriosis, salmonellosis, campylobacteriosis, typhoid fever, tuberculosis, diphtheria, and brucellosis. Pasteurization of milk is recognized internationally as an effective means of preventing outbreaks of foodborne illnesses, including listeriosis.

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Consumers should immediately discard raw whole milk or chocolate milk sold in Dauphin County and other southcentral Pennsylvania retail stores under the BeiHollow label between October 12 and 21. BeiHollow pasteurized cheese melt and cup cheese sold between September 20 and October 21 should also be discarded due to possible contamination. Tests following a report of potential listeria contamination confirmed the presence of listeria monocytogenes bacteria.

Raw whole and chocolate milk was sold in plastic half- and three-quarter gallons at BeiHollow Farm stores in Elizabethville and Lykens, Dauphin County. Cheese melt and cup cheeses of various sizes were sold in the same stores. The producer would not supply a list of other locations where the products were sold.

Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, an illness which has symptoms including fever, muscle aches, nausea, and diarrhea. Listeriosis mainly affects pregnant women, newborns, the elderly, and adults with impaired immune systems. Listeriosis in pregnant women can result in miscarriage, premature delivery, serious infection of the newborn, or stillbirth. 

No reported illnesses have been attributed to the product, but people who consumed the milk should consult their physicians if they become ill. No reported illnesses have been attributed to the product, but people who consumed the milk should consult their physicians if they become ill.

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A floor sealant known as Hillyard Seal 341 was served to students enrolled in a latchkey youth program in Juneau. From the school district report:

On June 14, breakfast was served at Glacier Valley Elementary School to students enrolled in the RALLY program. All breakfast components were served by NANA Management Services staff and placed on food service trays, which students brought to a cafeteria table to consume. 

Breakfast was served starting at 8:45 a.m, the district reported. Shortly thereafter, students complained of the milk tasting bad and burning their mouth/throat. Juneau School District RALLY and NANA staff immediately followed up by smelling/tasting the milk and looking at the container/label. 

It was found that the “milk” served was actually a floor sealant resembling liquid milk. Staff immediately directed students to stop consuming the substance and removed it.

Twelve students ingested the floor sealant. The RALLY site manager immediately contacted poison control. All steps provided by poison control were carefully followed and parents/guardians of the students who ingested the chemicals were informed of the incident.

The school district food service supervisor and RALLY supervisor arrived at the school by 9 am. Upon arrival they found that the RALLY site manager was taking all the steps provided by poison control, checking in with students and staff, and reaching out the parents/guardians about the incident. One student received medical treatment at Bartlett Regional Hospital and two other students were picked up from RALLY and the parents may have sought medical advice.

The district food service and RALLY supervisors followed up with the NANA staff to ensure the served product was disposed of and the remaining product removed from the premises and placed in chemical/hazardous storage. 

The investigation is continuing assisted by the district, City and Borough of Juneau, NANA and Juneau Police Department.

The product’s toxicity report can be found at this link.

WHO reports on 27 March 2022, the United Kingdom notified WHO of a cluster of cases with monophasic SalmonellaTyphimurium sequence type 34 infection. Investigations linked the outbreak to chocolate produced in Belgium, which have been distributed to at least 113 countries. A global alert was released by INFOSAN on 10 April, initiating a global product recall. To date, a total of 151 genetically related cases suspected to be linked to the consumption of the implicated chocolate products have been reported from 11 countries. The risk of spread in the WHO European region and globally is assessed as moderate until information is available on the full recall of the products.

On 27 March 2022, WHO was informed by the IHR National Focal Point of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the United Kingdom) of a widely distributed cluster of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium) with an unidentified source. Molecular typing confirmed isolation of the bacteria S. Typhimurium sequence typing (ST) 34 and epidemiological evidence has subsequently linked the outbreak to chocolate products from Belgium, which, as of 25 April 2022, have been found to be distributed to at least 113 countries and territories1 across all WHO Regions

Monophasic S. Typhimurium matching the human outbreak cases were identified in buttermilk tanks at the Ferrero Corporate plant in Arlon, Belgium in December 2021 and January 2022. After implementing hygiene measures and negative Salmonella testing, the implicated products (all Kinder products manufactured at the implicated facility (Arlon) including Kinder Surprise, Kinder Mini Eggs, Kinder Surprise Maxi 100g and Kinder Schoko-Bons) were distributed across Europe and globally.

According to the analyses of the United Kingdom Health Security Agency (UKHSA), the outbreak strain is resistant to six types of antibiotics: penicillins, aminoglycosides (streptomycin, spectinomycin, kanamycin, and gentamycin), phenicols, sulfonamides, trimethoprim, tetracyclines.

As of 25 April 2022, a total of 151 genetically related cases of S. Typhimurium suspected to be linked to the consumption of the implicated chocolate products have been reported from 11 countries (Figure 1): Belgium (26 cases), France (25 cases), Germany (10 cases), Ireland (15 cases), Luxembourg (1 case), the Netherlands (2 cases), Norway (1 case), Spain (1 case), Sweden (4 cases), the United Kingdom (65 cases) and the United States of America (1 case). According to Sante Publique reports, as of 04/27/2022: 59 cases of salmonellosis with a strain belonging to the epidemic, Salmonella Typhimurium, have been identified by the National Reference Center (CNR) for salmonella at the Institute Pasteur in France.

Salmonella:  Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm, is the nation’s leading law firm representing victims of Salmonella outbreaks. The Salmonella lawyers of Marler Clark have represented thousands of victims of Salmonella and other foodborne illness outbreaks and have recovered over $800 million for clients.  Marler Clark is the only law firm in the nation with a practice focused exclusively on foodborne illness litigation.  Our Salmonella lawyers have litigated Salmonella cases stemming from outbreaks traced to a variety of foods, such as cantaloupe, tomatoes, ground turkey, salami, sprouts, cereal, peanut butter, and food served in restaurants.  The law firm has brought Salmonella lawsuits against such companies as Cargill, ConAgra, Peanut Corporation of America, Sheetz, Taco Bell, Subway and Wal-Mart.

If you or a family member became ill with a Salmonella infection, including Reactive Arthritis or Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), after consuming food and you’re interested in pursuing a legal claim, contact the Marler Clark Salmonella attorneys for a free case evaluation.

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New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets warned residents to avoid consuming raw milk from a farm in Adams due to possible salmonella contamination.

According to the Department, consumers should not consume unpasteurized raw milk from Next Generation Farm which is located at 9922 County Route 152 in Adams, which is located in Jefferson County.

According to a press release from the Department, a sample of the milk was collected by an inspector from the Department who discovered the product was contaminated with Salmonella. The producer was notified of a preliminary positive test result on March 9.

Further laboratory testing was completed on March 21 and confirmed the presence of Salmonella in the raw milk sample. The producer was prohibited from selling raw milk until subsequent sampling indicate that the product is free of harmful bacteria.

The Department recommends that any consumers who purchased raw milk from Next Generation Farm immediately dispose of it and call the farm at (315) 486-2340.

However, the Department reminded residents that raw milk does not provide the protection of pasteurization. Pasteurization is a process that heats milk to a specific temperature for a set period of time and kills the bacteria responsible for numerous illnesses and diseases such as listeriosis, salmonellosis, campylobacteriosis, typhoid fever, tuberculosis, diphtheria, and brucellosis.

Pasteurization of milk is recognized internationally as an effective means of preventing outbreaks of foodborne illnesses, including salmonellosis. Although no illnesses associated with the product have been reported yet, Salmonella can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems.

Additionally, the bacteria can cause healthy individuals to experience fever, diarrhea which may be bloody, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain. In rare circumstances, infection with Salmonella can result in the organism getting into the bloodstream and producing more severe illnesses such as aneurysms, endocarditis, and arthritis.

According to the Columbia Basin Herald, Odessa’s Schoonover Farms LLC on Thursday voluntarily recalled raw whole milk and cream because it might be contaminated with E. coli (Escherichia coli bacteria), according to a release from the company.

No known illnesses caused by E. coli were associated with the product as of Thursday, but routine sampling by the Washington State Department of Agriculture showed the presence of toxin-producing E. coli in retail raw cream dated Dec. 23.

So retail raw whole milk and cream with best by dates of Dec. 23 through Jan. 2 (“12-23” through “1-2”) were recalled. The product is in 8-ounce, quart, half-gallon and 1-gallon bottle containers and sold to consumers in Odessa and stores in the Spokane area.

Those who bought the product are urged not to drink it and return it to the place of purchase for a refund. Those with questions can contact the company at 509-988-0538 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Schoonover Farms and the WSDA are working to address the source of the issue, the release stated.

“Retail raw milk is legal to sell and buy in Washington state, but the potential health risks are serious,” the release stated. “Consumers should read the warning label on the retail raw milk container carefully and ask their retailer to verify the milk was produced and processed by a WSDA-licensed operation.”

Shiga toxin-producing E. coli can cause stomach cramps, severe diarrhea and bloody stool. Symptoms can appear three or four days after exposure, but may take up to nine days to appear. Some infections cause hemolytic uremic syndrome, which is a serious disease where red blood cells are destroyed, which results in kidney failure. Those most at-risk include infants, children, pregnant women, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems. Anyone with symptoms should contact a health care provider.

St. John Creamery of Stanwood, WA, is recalling unpasteurized, raw goat milk because of possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

The recall was initiated after routine sampling conducted by the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) revealed the presence of Listeria monocytogenes in retail raw goat milk dated 100321 — Oct. 3.

There is concern that consumers may have unused portions of the raw milk in their homes because the best-by dates run through Oct. 10. Anyone who has consumed the raw milk or anyone they served it to should monitor themselves for signs of Listeria infection for the next 70 days.

The whole, raw goat milk, which was bottled in half-gallon and one-pint containers, was sold at the on-farm store, directly to private customers via drop groups, and at retail stores in Western Washington.

Recalled products:

  • The recalled product is bottled in half-gallon and one-pint containers.

  • Use/Freeze/Sell by Date:
    Best by dates 10/03/21 – 10/11/21

As of the posting of this recall, there are no known illnesses associated with the recalled product.

Consumers who have purchased the recalled product are urged not to drink it and return it to the place of purchase for a full refund.

Retail raw milk is legal to sell and buy in Washington State, but the potential health risks are serious, according to state and federal public health officials. Consumers should read the warning label on the retail raw milk container carefully and ask their retailer to verify the milk was produced and processed by a WSDA-licensed operation.

Raw goat milk produced and packaged by Valley Milk Simply Bottled of Stanislaus County is the subject of a statewide recall and quarantine order announced by California State Veterinarian Dr. Annette Jones.  The quarantine order came following the confirmed detection of the bacteria Campylobacter jejuni in the farm’s packaged raw whole goat milk sampled and tested by the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

The order applies to “Valley Milk Simply Bottled Raw Goat Milk” distributed in half-gallon (64 oz) plastic jugs with a code date marked on the container of AUG 28 2021.  Consumers are strongly urged to dispose of any product remaining in their refrigerators, and retailers are to pull the product immediately from their shelves.

CDFA found the campylobacter bacteria in a routine sample collected at the Valley Milk Simply Bottled production and packaging facility.  No illnesses have been reported. The current order does not include the farm’s raw cow milk or raw sheep milk.

Symptoms of campylobacteriosis include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever.  Most people with camplylobacteriosis recover completely.  Illness usually occurs 2 to 5 days after exposure to campylobacter and lasts about a week.  The illness is usually mild and some people with campylobacteriosis have no symptoms at all.  However, in some persons with compromised immune systems, it can cause a serious, life-threatening infection.  A small percentage of people may have joint pain and swelling after infection.  In addition, a rare disease called Guillian-Barre syndrome that causes weakness and paralysis can occur several weeks after the initial illness.