A brand of organic healthy milk in California is getting recalled because of possible bacterial contamination.
The California Department of Food Administration (CDFA) has ordered a recall throughout the state of raw milk made by the Organic Pastures Dairy of Fresno. The order was called after campylobacter bacteria was found during random testing and sample collection procedure conducted by the CDFA on the company.
CDFA has so far reported no illnesses due to the contaminated milk, but the CDFA urges the public to cooperate and remain vigilant.
"Organic Pastures Dairy brand Grade-A raw milk labeled with a code date of OCT 24 is to be pulled immediately from (stores)", CDFA said in a press release. "Consumers are strongly urged to dispose of any product remaining in their refrigerators.
State officials have not officially released a list of stores that carry the specific brand of milk or whether it has been distributed to other states.
Campylobacteriosis, the infection that can result from the bacteria found in the contaminated milk, presents symptoms typical of food poisoning, like abdominal pain, diarrhea and fever. Some individuals may not even present symptoms at all.
Most patients easily recover within 2 to 5 days, however, it can have grave consequences on a small portion of the population.
"The illness is usually mild and some people...have no symptoms at all," CDFA said.
"(But), 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."
Some patients even acquire the Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a nervous system disease that can cause paralysis, several weeks after the onset of the infection.
This incident is not the first time raw milk products have been recalled due to the presence of bacteria, nor was this the first time Organic Pastures of Fresno County has faced a recall order of their products.
Last November 2011, the dairy product company has also faced a similar recall, when several children contracted infections caused by E.coli. Though the company's raw milk did not test positive for the bacteria, the source of the bacteria was eventually traced to the said product.
Three of the children had been hospitalized with a serious condition called hemolytic uremic syndrome, no deaths have been reported due to the incident.
In light of these incidents, the CDFA warns the public to take caution when consuming raw milk or raw milk products due to the high risk of contamination and infection upon consumption.
"Pasteurization is a process that kills harmful bacteria. Raw milk is not pasteurized," CDFA said in their press release statement during the November 2011 recall.
They added that, because raw milk had not undergone the pasteurization process, clear warnings of the possible dangers the public are exposing themselves to upon consuming the product should be clearly stated.
For their part, the CDFA milk and dairy food safety experts continue to conduct inspections of dairy product manufacturers and random tests of raw milk products to ensure regulatory standards are met.
