Personal Injury Law

Raw Milk Used To Make Mexican-Style Cheese Blamed In Utah Salmonella Outbreak

By Marler Clark LLP

 Homemade queso fresco , a Mexican-style soft cheese made with raw milk, is being blamed by health officials for a salmonella outbreak in Utah's Salt Lake Valley.

The Salt Lake Tribune reported last week on seven salmonella cases that were being linked to someone in Kearns, Utah who was making queso fresco using raw milk from a cow on a nearby farm.

Larry Lewis, spokesman for the State Department of Agriculture, said officials believe the contaminated cheese was sold or given away to friends and neighbors, but not produced or sold commercially.

"We believe the contamination came from the raw milk," Lewis said. However, the cheese maker would not tell officials where he obtained the milk.

Health officials say the sick in Utah are suffering from "Salmonella Newport."  They believe the outbreak is more widespread than just the seven cases as other salmonella cases have been reported. For more from the SL Tribune, go here.

Full post as published by Salmonella Blog on May 26, 2009 (boomark / email).