County Recalls Some Raw Milk Products at State’s Request

Some Stueffe’s raw milk products were recalled Friday in Orange County because routine tests showed that they might be contaminated with a bacteria that causes serious stomach disorders, the director of the county Health Care Agency said.

Director Robert E. Merryman said his agency was asked by the state health department to recall from grocers’ shelves certain Stueffe’s products. Stueffe’s is produced by the Altadena Dairy Co. of Los Angeles County, Merryman said.

All raw whole milk, certified raw nonfat milk and certified raw cream with code days Nov. 15 and Nov. 17-20 were ordered off the shelves, Merryman said. The code day refers to the expiration date for consuming the products and also to the herd from which the milk was taken.

Merryman said that about 10% of Orange County’s grocery stores carry small amounts of the products.

He said routine U.S. Agriculture Department tests showed that the milk products might be contaminated with the bacteria salmonella, which causes serious dysentery and other stomach problems.

“It’s like having a bad case of the stomach flu,” Merryman said.

He said the raw milk products, which are not pasteurized, are not consumed in large quantities, usually just by people who prefer them to homogenized milk.

Merryman also said it would be next week before his office determines how many of the possibly contaminated milk products were taken off the shelf Friday afternoon.

“There’s no serious concern. We’re taking care of the problem in Orange County,” he said.