Department of Agriculture advises consumers to discard Jersey Hollow Farm's raw milk

The Department of Agriculture today advised consumers who purchased raw milk from Norman Z. and Edith B. Sauder, of Jersey Hollow Farm in Kutztown, Berks County, to discard the product immediately because of potential bacterial contamination.

Raw milk is milk that has not been pasteurized.

A Department of Agriculture lab found Salmonella in a milk sample taken from the dairy on July 19, 2010. The bacteria's presence violates the Milk Sanitation Law.

The Sauders have agreed with the department's request to stop selling raw milk for human consumption.

Symptoms of Salmonella include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, headache and abdominal cramps. The symptoms can appear anywhere between six hours and four days after infection.

The department is moving to suspend Jersey Hollow Farm's raw milk permit until additional milk samples are tested and found to be free of Salmonella and other pathogens. The farm also must pass a state inspection before raw milk sales can resume.