Raw milk responsible for illness outbreak

While the repeated message from food safety experts is to avoid drinking raw milk, many consumers continue to choose unpasteurized milk with the notion that it is more “healthy.” Now, unpasteurized milk has been identified as the cause of illness again, this time in Colorado.

Lab tests performed by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment have confirmed that raw milk from Longmont’s Billy Goat Dairy is responsible for an outbreak of bacterial illnesses in Boulder County.

Samples of the dairy’s unpasteurized milk tested positive for the strains of Campylobacter and E. coli that have now sickened 30 people, including two children who are hospitalized.

On June 29, the Boulder County Department of Public Health ordered the dairy to stop distributing milk to the 43 households that participate in the farm’s “goat-sharing program” until the dairy addressed a list of the department’s concerns, which include how quickly the milk is cooled after milking and how equipment is sanitized.

But even after the dairy complies with all the county’s requests, Boulder County Public Health cannot guarantee the safety of drinking raw milk, according to Chana Goussetis, department spokeswoman.

“Our main message, over and over, is that no matter what, there’s no way to ensure that unpasteurized milk is safe,” she said.

“Knowledge for Life” provided by the Finney County Extension Office and K-State Research and Extension.

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