State orders recall of Organic Pastures Dairy milk and cream

California officials have issued a statewide recall of Organic Pastures Dairy’s raw milk and cream after routine testing found the presence of salmonella in a sample of raw cream.

Although no illnesses have been reported, state veterinarian Dr. Annette Jones ordered the recall of the Fresno County dairy’s raw milk, raw skim milk and raw cream labeled with a code date of May 18.

The state said Organic Pastures products should be pulled immediately from retail shelves, and consumers are strongly urged to dispose of any product remaining in their refrigerators.

Mark McAfee, owner of Organic Pastures, said the dairy never has tested positive for salmonella, and he suspects the problem may have come from eggs he was distributing for a fellow farmer.

“We have discontinued distributing the eggs, and we are confident the problem has been taken care of,” McAfee said.

Symptoms of salmonella infection include fever, abdominal cramps and diarrhea, which may be bloody. Most people infected with salmonella develop symptoms 12 to 72 hours after exposure.

Organic Pastures is the leading producer of raw, unpasteurized milk in the U.S. It produces 1 million gallons of raw milk a year and has legions of devoted followers.

But it also has run into problems. The dairy has been investigated for several E. coli and Campylobacter outbreaks over the years.

This story was originally published May 9, 2016 at 4:42 PM with the headline "State orders recall of Organic Pastures Dairy milk and cream."