TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Florida’s Commissioner of Agriculture instructed Floridians to drop the uncooked milk after over 20 individuals fell ailing in connection to the consumption of uncooked dairy merchandise.
On Aug. 4, the Florida Division of Well being mentioned 21 individuals, together with six youngsters, obtained sick from Campylobacter and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli after consuming uncooked milk produced by Keely Farms Dairy in New Smyrna Seashore.
Seven of those individuals had been hospitalized, and two suffered “extreme problems, in line with well being officers.
In response to the sicknesses, Commissioner Wilton Simpson urged Floridians to drink pasteurized milk quite than untreated uncooked milk, which might comprise dangerous micro organism.
“Florida’s pasteurized milk provide is secure, nutritious, and intently managed from the farm to your native grocery retailer,” Simpson mentioned. “There have been no reported sicknesses from pasteurized milk merchandise in Florida, so Floridians ought to proceed to purchase and luxuriate in nutritious and healthful dairy merchandise from Florida farmers.”
In contrast to uncooked milk, which is barely bought for animal consumption within the state of Florida, pasteurized milk is rigorously examined for security and handled to eradicate micro organism. Pasteurization is solely the method of mildly heating the milk to a particular temperature, killing micro organism that may trigger illnesses like listeria, tuberculosis, and different sicknesses.
“Pasteurization is a course of that has been utilized to kill dangerous pathogens in meals for almost 150 years and is the commonest methodology utilized at present to eradicate doubtlessly dangerous pathogens in milk merchandise,” mentioned Dr. Matt Curran, Director of FDACS’ Division of Meals Security. “Uncooked milk can comprise harmful pathogens like E. coli, Listeria, Salmonella, and others that may trigger critical sickness, particularly in younger youngsters, older adults, and other people with weakened immune programs.”
So on your sake, put the uncooked milk down.
