Personal Injury Law

Umpqua Dairy recalls pasteurized milk and juice due to 23 Salmonella Braenderup cases

By Bill Marler, Esq.

Oregon Public Health officials have recalled Umpqua Dairy brand Milk, half and half, cream and buttermilk as well as Umpqua Dairy brand gallon orange juice and fruit drinks. Umpqua Dairy Products Co., are sold in Oregon, southwest Washington and northern California.

All Umpqua Dairy products are pasteurized.  Recent testing at the Roseburg Dairy, however, identified Salmonella on several different surfaces. The recall comes after 23 people, all in Oregon, have been laboratory-confirmed with matching DNA patterns of Salmonella Braenderup. Two people have been hospitalized.

"This outbreak has unfolded slowly and it was just recently that we were able to confirm the matching Salmonella strain in the Umpqua milk plant. We want to tell consumers that if they have any Umpqua milk at home, they should discard it or ask for a refund from the store where it was purchased. The risk to consumers is very low. We have had approximately one illness reported for every million containers that Umpqua has sold during this period," said Paul Cieslak, M.D., Oregon Public Health Division.

Umpqua also sells under the labels: Cascade, Great Value, Lady Lee, Market of Choice and Sherm's. The company also supplies milk to Dairy Queens in Oregon and Washington. Those products that should be discarded or returned have a plant code 41-62 stamped on them. The recall affects milk, purchased on or prior to Monday, Aug. 16, 2010 or earlier or with an expiration date of Sept. 5, 2010 or earlier; buttermilk with an expiration date of Sept. 10, 2010, or earlier; orange juice and fruit drink with an expiration date of Sept. 15 or earlier.

Full post as published by Marler Blog on August 18, 2010 (boomark / email).