For at least the fifth time since 2006, and the second time this year – Organic Pastures voluntarily recalled a number of its products in February 2016 – a California dairy farm that sells raw, unpasteurized products has announced a product recall.
Raw Cream, Milk Recalled by California Company Organic Pastures
California state veterinarian Dr. Annette Jones has ordered a statewide recall of Organic Pastures Dairy’s raw milk and cream. State public health officials issued the recall after routine testing revealed the presence of salmonella in one of the samples of the company’s raw cream.
The recall affects the company’s raw milk, raw cream, and raw skim milk with a code date of May 18th and lot ID #20160429, according to the company’s recall letter. The recalled Organic Pastures products were immediately pulled from the shelves at retail locations as per instructions from state officials, and consumers were “strongly urged” to dispose of any of the recalled products that they may still have in their refrigerators.
Organic Pastures on the Defensive
Mark McAfee, the owner of the Fresno County company, which is the top US producer of raw, unpasteurized milk, asserted the the dairy had never had a positive test for Salmonella.
In a post on the company’s Facebook page, McAfee said that the samples of the same cream that California officials said tested positive for the foodborne bacteria had tested negative for Salmonella at a third party laboratory selected by the company.
The likely culprit for the positive test, McAfee said, were eggs that he had been distributing for another farmer.
“We have discontinued distributing the eggs, and we are confident the problem has been taken care of,” stated McAfee.
A Dangerous Decade: Organic Pastures’ Outbreaks and Recalls Over the Past Ten Years
Despite the company’s status as the leading producer of raw, unpasteurized milk in the US, the dairy has gone through multiple recalls and incidents of foodborne outbreaks in the past decade. Some more of the more notable incidents include:
- a February 2016 recall of whole, raw milk due to positive tests for foodborne pathogens conducted by the state of California;
- an October 2015 raw milk recall and quarantine as a direct result of positive tests for Campylobacter during routine facility inspection and sample collection;
- a September 2012 raw milk recall for the same reason (Campylobacter);
- a Campylobacter outbreak that took place from January through April of 2012, which involved the recall of raw milk, raw butter, raw skim milk and the quarantine of the dairy subsequent to confirmation of Campylobacter in raw cream;
- an E. coli outbreak during August, September and October of 2011 linked to Organic Pastures raw milk;
- a September 2008 quarantine and raw cream recall after Campylobacter was identified in cream produced by the farm;
- a September 2007 recall and quarantine if Grade A raw cream after detection of Listeria monocytogenes during routine inspection and sample collection
- a November and December 2007 outbreak of multiple strains of Campylobacter; and
- a September 2006 outbreak of E. coli O157:H7.
