Possibly Harmful Bacteria Found : April Discovery in Milkshake Mix Went Unannounced

Potentially harmful listeria bacteria were found last April in a sample of milkshake mix that had been distributed to more than 200 fast-food restaurants, but authorities did not announce the discovery because the product already had been consumed and no illnesses had been reported, a state official said Sunday.

“There wasn’t any product out there to be pulled. And there were no reports of illnesses. So who would we have been notifying about what?” said Jan Wessell, communications director for the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

The bacteria, which can cause serious illness or death, were detected in a sample of ice milk taken in mid-April by inspectors for the federal Food and Drug Administration at the Jerseymaid Milk Products plant at 104 W. Slauson Ave. in Los Angeles, Wessell said.

By the time tests were completed, the 5,000-gallon batch of ice milk had already been shipped and used to make soft-style milk shakes at 226 Carl’s Jr. restaurants in California and Arizona.

Tested Second Sample

State agriculture officials immediately took a second sample from a small portion of the batch that remained at the Jerseymaid plant, but were unable to detect any listeria, Wessell said.

A subsequent inspection of the Jerseymaid facility failed to turn up any signs of listeria in the milk-processing equipment, but did show some of the bacteria in several drains, Wessell said. However, she added, milk did not come in contact with the drains. The plant subsequently was cleaned to eliminate all traces of the bacteria, she said.

“That one product line--ice milk--was taken off line following the first test . . . so we could look at the system, inspect it,” Wessell said. “It was taken off until a complete evaluation of the process was done. Everything checked out and there was nothing found.”

It is possible that the first sample was contaminated after it was taken from the batch, Wessell said.

Quoted Physicians

In an article in Sunday’s editions, the Van Nuys-based Daily News quoted several physicians as saying that authorities should have announced the listeria discovery to aid doctors in diagnosing illnesses that might have resulted.

“If one is warned, one knows what to watch out for,” Dr. Milton Birnbaum, a Los Angeles family practitioner, was quoted as saying.

Los Angeles County health officials, who reportedly were not told of the listeria discovery until last week, could not be reached for comment Sunday.

Officials of Jerseymaid and Carl Karcher Enterprises, which operates the Carl’s Jr. restaurants, also were unavailable Sunday. They were quoted in the Daily News as saying they had fully complied with all recommendations made by the health officials who handled the listeria investigation.

A common type of bacteria, Listeria monocytogenes does not usually cause illness in healthy adults, but can be harmful to pregnant women, infants and the elderly, according to health officials. It can cause nausea, fever, headache, severe abdominal pain and, in severe cases, death.

Last year, 40 deaths were attributed to illnesses caused by listeria bacteria in soft cheese manufactured by now-defunct Jalisco Mexican Products Inc. of Artesia.