E Coli Lawyer & Attorney : Marler Clark Law Firm : E. coli Blog

Cider pressed from this year's apple crop will be the last that can be legally sold in New York state without being treated to kill E. coli and other microorganisms, according to The Business Review.

New York Gov. George Pataki signed a bill into law this month that requires cider to be pasteurized or exposed to ultraviolet light. Each method destroys microorganisms like the potentially deadly E. coli 0157:H7 and cryptosporidium.

The New York Apple Association, comprised of apple growers, asked the state Legislature to approve the cider-treatment requirement following an E. coli outbreak last fall that was traced to cider from an orchard in Peru, Clinton County. More than 300 people were sickened by the tainted cider.

Cider made for production of hard cider or vinegar is exempt from the treatment requirement. The fermentation process also naturally kills the microorganisms.

An estimated 5 million bushels of New York's crop goes into apple juice and cider production each year.
 

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Sales of unpasteurized milk are illegal in Ohio; producers caught distributing to the public face criminal charges and can lose their licenses as well as their livelihood.

But there's a bigger reason why regulators and researchers urge raw milk drinkers to reconsider: Consuming unpasteurized milk can be dangerous to your health.

Even milk going to processing plants for milk, butter, cheese, or other dairy products is subject to monthly bacteria counts so that production stays within licensed limits.

But raw milk advocates, many backed by guidance from the national Weston A. Price Foundation, are pushing for changes to state laws that prohibit raw milk sales, saying that citizens should be allowed to buy unpasteurized milk from farmers.

They believe non-Holstein breeds (Jerseys, etc.) raised on pasture during the growing season and forage and root vegetables when confined, produce a milk packed with disease- and ailment-curing bacteria that can relieve asthma and straighten teeth. They also feel that pasteurization changes the raw milk into something that is dangerous for humans.

However, regulators know that bacteria such as E. coli can be plentiful in raw milk, causing illnesses ranging from upset stomachs to hemolytic uremic syndrome, a potentially fatal kidney disease.

In Ohio, the only legal means of obtaining and consuming raw milk is to own the cow of origin. In Wayne and Holmes counties, many dairy farmers choose to drink milk straight from their bulk tanks, where it's pumped directly from their cows.

Producers who were aware of the risks of food-borne pathogens were less likely to drink unpasteurized milk. But others continue to drink raw milk even after understanding the dangers involved, saying that it was easier to walk 15 feet into their milking parlors and pull a jug rather than driving miles down the road and paying for it.

For farmers and consumers accepting those risks, experts recommend that they refrigerate their raw milk supplies as quickly as possible. And they should think twice about giving it to the elderly or young infants or others with compromised health or to visitors who aren't used to drinking it.
 

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