Health department investigates illnesses tied to raw milk from Idaho farm. What to know
Central District Health is investigating reports of illnesses in Ada County residents related to drinking raw milk, Idaho Department of Health and Welfare spokesperson AJ McWhorter said Friday.
No illnesses have been identified in Canyon County residents, McWhorter told the Idaho Statesman in an email. Idaho Public Health officials statewide are investigating reports of 18 people who tested positive for a bacterial infection, 17 of whom did so after drinking raw milk from a dairy west of Rexburg.
“People at higher risk of severe illness after consuming raw dairy products include young children, pregnant women, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems,” the Department of Health and Welfare said in a news release. “People in these groups are encouraged to consume pasteurized dairy products.”
During pasteurization, milk is heated to a temperature high enough to eliminate germs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Central District Health did not immediately return a request for comment.
Paradise Grove Dairy distributes milk to stores across Southern Idaho, the release said. The Jefferson County farm voluntarily stopped production on Aug. 2, fixed equipment and increased the frequency of milk testing before it restarted production on Aug. 12, the release said.
Consumers who bought raw milk from July 19 to Aug. 2 from Paradise Grove Dairy should throw it away, according to the release.
Common symptoms of the bacterial infection, campylobacteriosis, are diarrhea, fever, stomach cramps, nausea and/or vomiting. Symptoms typically develop two to five days after exposure and last a week.
“Some people may develop complications that last longer,” the release said. “If you are experiencing similar symptoms after consuming raw milk or raw milk products from Paradise Grove Dairy, seek medical attention.”
In 2023, the Idaho Legislature passed a bill removing the misdemeanor penalty for violating the state’s raw milk code. The potential punishment changed from a fine of up to $200 or up to three months in jail to just a fine of up to $200. No legislators voted against the bill in the Senate and only five voted against it in the House.
“We simply removed the criminal penalty from anything related to raw milk production and sales in the state of Idaho,” bill sponsor Sen. Scott Herndon, R-Sagle, said in a Facebook video in May this year. “Now you can sell raw milk in the state of Idaho without the threat of ever going to jail. I believe in real food freedom.”
