The Country Market, located at 14211 North Thorpe Road, is recalling raw fluid cow milk bearing expiration dates of Feb. 4, 2011 through Feb. 11, 2011 after routine sampling by the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) found Escherichia coli bacteria.
Although no known illnesses have been associated with this product, E. coli has the potential to cause serious illness.
Those who have purchased The Country Market raw milk with the expiration dates noted are urged to return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. The milk is sold only in half-gallon containers from The Country Market store and from Fresh Abundance, located at 2015 North Division St. in Spokane.
“We're working with the state to take care of the problem,” said The Country Market owner/operator Tom Turnbough. “We want to make sure all the proper testing is done before we start selling (raw milk) again.”
Those with questions can call the company at (509) 499-3739.
Retail raw milk is legal to sell and buy in Washington, but there are potential health risks. Consumers should read the warning label on the retail raw milk container carefully and ask their retailer to verify the milk was produced and processed by a WSDA-licensed operation.
According to the Seattle-based Food Poison Journal (www.foodpoisonjournal.com), toxin-producing E. coli infections may cause severe diarrhea, stomach cramps and bloody stool. Symptoms generally appear three to four days after exposure, but can take as long as nine days to appear. Anyone experiencing these symptoms should contact a health care provider.
The infection sometimes causes hemolytic uremic syndrome, a serious disease in which red blood cells are destroyed and the kidneys fail. Infants, children, pregnant women, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems are especially at risk.
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