The South Dakota Department of Agriculture (SDDA) is reporting campylobacter bacteria was found in a sampling of raw (unpasteurized) milk from Black Hills Milk in Belle Fourche, S.D.
SDDA advises consumers that raw milk recently purchased from this business may contain harmful bacteria that can lead to campylobacter infection. Symptoms of this infection include diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, and can sometimes progress to more serious illness, such as kidney failure and other complications.
The implicated milk is sold at a retail outlet in Spearfish, Black Hills Farmers Market at Founder’s Park in Rapid City and other locations in the Black Hills. If you have purchased this raw milk, SDDA advises the product be discarded or returned.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), pasteurized milk that is correctly handled in the dairy, bottled, sealed and refrigerated after pasteurization, and that is properly handled by the consumer, is very unlikely to contain illness-causing bacteria.
The SDDA requires producers selling raw milk to be permitted through the state, inspected once or twice a year depending on grade of milk and provide a monthly quality analysis.