Raw milk that was produced and packaged by Valley Milk Simply Bottled in Stanislaus County, California is being recalled for possible Campylobacter contamination. The farm’s packaged raw whole milk was sampled and tested by the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the lab confirmed detection of the pathogen.

The raw milk is sold in one gallon plastic drugs. Any milk that was purchased or received 3/11/19 through 3/19/19 should be discarded. No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this issue.

Raw milk is milk that has not been pasteurized. In the past few years, there have been many recalls of raw milk and raw milk products for possible pathogen contamination.

A 2015 study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that Campylobacter causes the most raw milk outbreaks. Every year from 2007 to 2012, Campylobacter caused 81% of all raw milk outbreaks.

The symptoms of Campylobacter food poisoning include diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps that can last up to 10 days. The worst part about this infection is that a complication called Guillain-Barré syndrome can occur, which can lead to paralysis and death. Other complications of this type of infection include inflammatory bowel disease, septicemia, gall bladder inflammation, and urinary tract infections.

If you purchased this milk, do not drink it. Throw it away or return it to the store wher you bought it for a refund. Make sure you discard the milk even if part of it has been consumed and no one is ill. Bacteria can clump in tiny areas in milk, so not every glass can contain pathogens.