Raw milk from Minnesota dairy farm spurs warning
State health officials have linked three cases of E. coli to unpasteurized milk from a dairy farm near the south-central Minnesota town of Gibbon.
Three people have been hospitalized with illnesses linked to milk from the Hartmann Dairy Farm. A fourth case is under investigation. Dr. Nicole Neeser, the Dairy Inspection Manager for the state agriculture department, said the sale of un-pasteurized milk is generally prohibited.
"In Minnesota, actually, the consumption or the sales of raw milk are not legal. But there is an exception to that," Neeser said. "Consumers can go directly to the farm and get raw milk on an occasional basis directly from the farmer."
Neeser said raw milk contains pathogens that are removed through pasteurization.
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Health officials urge anyone who may have recently purchased milk from the business, which is also known as M.O.M.'s, to get rid of the product and not consume it.
The milk may be labeled organic and consumers may be unaware that the milk has not been pasteurized. In addition, consumers should not eat cheese, ice cream or other dairy products from the farm, which also may have been made from raw, unpasteurized milk.
Minnesota law prohibits most raw milk sales, except for occasional purchases directly at the farm where the milk is produced. There are a total of four cases of illness under investigation. Three of the four people were hospitalized as a result of their illness.
(MPR's Bill Catlin contributed to this report.)