LINK: Regulations about raw milk for retail
OGDEN -- An illness linked to raw milk has infected nine people in the Top of Utah.
The Utah Department of Health announced Monday that two dairies in the state, including one in Weber County, had sold contaminated milk that made 15 people ill.
Ropelato Dairy, 4019 W. 1800 South, was the source of the campylobacter outbreak that sickened nine people, according to spokespeople from the Utah Department of Agriculture and UDOH. Raw milk from a dairy in Richfield gave several people salmonella.
Raw milk was approved for sale by the Utah Legislature in 2007 despite opposition from the U.S. Department of Agriculture because of health concerns, said Larry Lewis, UDA spokesman.
"Raw milk, no matter how carefully handled, has risks," said Glen Kinney, Weber- Morgan Health Department epidemiologist.
Now raw milk, which is unpasteurized and goes from cow to refrigeration without treatment, is legally available for retail only through places permitted by the UDA.
The milk is tested monthly for problems, and sales are suspended if bacteria is found, Lewis said. The milk is then tested weekly until it is within safety standards, when the raw milk can be sold again, he said.
Bob Ropelato, co-owner of Ropelato Dairy, said they stopped selling raw milk after hearing of one person getting sick. He said they are not currently selling the milk and will decide whether to begin selling raw milk again.
Campylobacter, commonly known as "campy," can cause nausea, diarrhea, fever, headache, vomiting and abdominal pain. It is also associated with Guillain-Barre syndrome, a nerve disorder that can lead to temporary or permanent paralysis.
Kinney said raw milk has made up about a third of the health department's campy cases in the last year.
Ropelato said many people believe raw milk is more nutritious so the customer demand was there to provide it.
That belief is a myth, Kinney said. Pasteurization, heating the milk to kill bacteria, destroys no more enzymes or proteins than stomach acid does, he said.
Lewis said the recent campy outbreak is not a problem with the milk directly, but the infection was introduced at some point in the handling process.
If people choose to drink raw milk, they should get it only from a permitted facility and be careful to always keep it below 41 degrees Fahrenheit, he said.
Kinney said there have been no campy outbreaks from pasteurized milk.
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