Listeria Found in Coffee-Flavored Milk at Whittier Farms
Health officials have found a smoking gun at Whittier Farms, a dairy that has now been linked to 4 cases of listeriosis in Massachusetts, according to The Boston Globe:
Coffee-flavored milk taken from a cooler at a central Massachusetts dairy carried germs identical to bacteria that killed two elderly men and made two other people sick, according to state test results released yesterday that investigators said left little doubt about the dairy being the source of the infections.
Genetic fingerprinting conducted at the state laboratory has indicated that a milk sample collected at Whittier Farms dairy two weeks ago, a sample taken in November from a bottle in a victim's refrigerator, and blood drawn from the four patients all harbored exactly the same type of Listeria, a striking discovery, state disease trackers said.
"The pattern is very unique," said Dr. Alfred DeMaria, the state's director of communicable disease control. "It means there's an outbreak here. There's no question there's an outbreak. And it implies that the dairy is the common source.
State health investigators believe that the Listeria contamination happened after pasteurization, perhaps during the packaging process, the Boston Globe story states. This is typical of almost all cases of Listeria contamination of a food product where there is a kill step during processing. Unless the kill step (here pasteurization) is faulty, it should kill any foodborne pathogens, including Listeria. Contamination usually happens when an unsanitary condition (not washing hands, not cleaning equipment well, etc.) results in Listeria getting on or in the food.
Pritzker Law represents victims of Listeria outbreaks and the families of people who have died in Listeria outbreaks. If you would like a free consultation with a Listeria lawyer, please call toll-free at 1-888-377-8900 or submit the firm’s free case consultation form. If you would like to comment on this outbreak, Listeria, listeriosis, Whittier Farms or any food safety topic, please submit the comment form below.
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