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WI Raw Milk Outbreak Could Lead to Criminal Charges

By PritzkerLaw

State and county officials in Wisconsin are considering whether criminal charges should be filed against a family farm in Elkhorn that sold raw milk associated with a Wisconsin raw milk Campylobacter outbreak.

Walworth County Assistant District Attorney Zeke Wiedenfeld told the Janesville Gazette newspaper that it's a crime in Wisconsin to sell raw milk. But he said it could take another couple of weeks for officials to decide what to do in the case of Zinniker Farm selling the unpasteurized product under a program whereby customers supposedly share ownership of a cow.

The farm in southeastern Wisconsin has been associated with an outbreak of Campylobacter jejuni that sickened at least 35 people, including one who was hospitalized. State health officials stepped in to shut down the distribution of raw milk and found the same genetic strain of Campylobacter in cow feces on the farm as was found in 25 of the patients.

Farm families can legally drink raw milk produced on their farms, but the state forbids the sale of any raw milk to outsiders who don't own the farm itself unless the buyer is a pasteurized dairy processor.

Prosecutors have met with farm owners Mark and Petra Zinniker in addition to officials at the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. The Zinnikers have declined to offer public comment so far.

Most people recover from Campylobacter infection within two to five days and sometimes closer to 10 days. But there is a risk of long-term health consequences associated with the disease, even after diarrhea, stomach pain and other symptoms subside. Some people develop arthritis. Others come down with the rare disease of Guillain-Barre' syndrome, an attack on the body's nerve system that can lead to temporary paralysis. An estimated one in 1,000 people who contract Campylobacter also develop Guillain-Barre'.  

If you or a loved one have been sickened in this WI raw milk outbreak, regardless of your beliefs about the safety of drinking raw milk, contact an attorney at PritzkerOlsen, P.A. We are a national food safety and food poisoning law firm that has a national reputation for representing victims of foodborne illness and making recoveries from insurance companies.

 Over the years we have recovered tens of millions of dollars for patients who have been affected by diarrheal, foodborne illnesses and associated complications, including Guillain-Barre' syndrome.

For more information and to talk to one of our attorneys free of charge, call 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free). Or, to receive a free case consultation from a lawyer who has handled Campylobacter cases in the past, submit one of our online forms with your contact information and description of your experience.

Full post as published by Food Poisoning Law Blog on September 30, 2009 (boomark / email).