EAST BERLIN (WPMT)-The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has warned consumers who bought raw milk from Apple Valley Creamery in Adams County to immediately discard it due to Campylobacter contamination found in a recent sample.
The dairy is located along the 500 block of Germany Road in East Berlin.
The raw milk sample was collected from the farm Jan. 28 during required routine sampling by a commercial laboratory and later tested positive for the bacteria.
Apple Valley Creamery sells directly to customers at an on-farm retail store and through home delivery services. Several retail facilities in Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin and Perry counties also carry the creamery’s products. The packaged raw milk is sold under the Apple Valley Creamery label in half gallon and quart glass containers with the sell-by dates of Feb. 9 and Feb. 11. It is labeled as “raw milk.”
Apple Valley Creamery also bottles pasteurized milk. This notice does not affect the pasteurized milk bottled by the creamery.
Agriculture officials have ordered the owner of the dairy to stop the sale of all raw milk until further notice. Multiple samples must test negative before the farm can resume raw milk sales.
Raw milk is milk that has not been pasteurized.
Pennsylvania law allows farms to sell raw milk but requires the farms to be permitted and inspected by the agriculture department to reduce health risks associated with unpasteurized products. There are 150 farms in Pennsylvania permitted to sell raw milk or raw milk cheese.
Symptoms of Campylobacter include fever, abdominal pain and gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea and diarrhea. Symptoms usually appear within 1-7 days after consumption.
To date, the Pennsylvania Health Department is not aware of any illnesses related to these products. Any person who consumed raw milk from Apple Valley Dairy and has symptoms should consult their physician, visit their local health center or call 877-PA Health (724-3258).
For more information about Campylobacter, visit www.health.state.pa.us.
