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Raw Milk Dairy Reopens After Campylobacter Outbreak

By PritzkerLaw

A raw milk dairy in Montrose, Colorado, has been allowed to reopen under enhanced sanitation requirements and new testing protocols.

The Kinikin Corner Dairy was ordered to halt distribution April 7 after at least 11 people in the area became ill with Campylobacter, a foodborne illness that carries risks of nerve cell damage. Of  the 11 patients, 10 said they had consumed raw milk and eight said the raw milk was from Kinikin.

Since the outbreak was announced, the Campylobacter attorneys at Pritzker Olsen Law Firm have tried to alert consumers to the threat. The firm represents victims of foodborne illness in practically all major outbreaks and currently represents a woman who was hospitalized at length for treatment of Campylobacter associated with food she ate at a Chipotle restaurant in Lakeville, Minnesota.

Patti Klocker, assistant director of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment's Consumer Protection Division, told the Montrose Daily Press that an initial review showed Kinikin  meeting the new parameters. She said no further testing by the state was taking place and that the order to shut down was being removed.

Kinikin Owner Scott Freeman told the newspaper that only about 6 of his 180 customers have opted out  the dairy's cow-share program for raw milk. State and federal health officials around the country routinely advise people not to drink milk that isn't pasteurized because of health hazards, including the transmission of Campylobacter and E. coli O157:H7. But raw milk enthusiasts continue  to believe raw milk is better in its natural state.

Symptoms of Campylobacter  include fever, diarrhea (sometimes bloody), abdominal cramps, nausea and vomiting. People experiencing these symptoms should consult with their health care provider. In rare cases, Campylobacter can cause Guillian-Barre' syndrome, a condition in which the body damages its own nerve cells, resulting in weakness and sometimes paralysis.

To contact a food poisoning attorney at Pritzker Olsen, call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or write to us online for a free consultation of your case. 

Full post as published by Food Poisoning Law Blog on May 13, 2009 (boomark / email).