Overview

• Twenty-one Campylobacter and Shiga toxin–producing E. coli infections have been linked to raw milk from a single Florida farm
• Six cases involved children under age ten and seven patients required hospitalization, including two who developed severe complications
• The Florida Department of Health flagged substandard hygiene at the unnamed farm and has launched an ongoing investigation into its milking and handling practices
• State law allows raw milk sales labeled for animal consumption, enabling some consumers to bypass pasteurization requirements by purchasing it as pet food
• Federal agencies emphasize that pasteurization eliminates dangerous bacteria without reducing nutritional value and note 143 raw milk–related outbreaks nationwide since 1987