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Lawsuit Filed in Washington State Raw Milk Outbreak

Food Safety News

by News Desk | Jan 03, 2012

A lawsuit will be filed on behalf of a 5-year-old Washington state child who developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious condition that can lead to kidney failure, after drinking raw milk allegedly contaminated with E. coli O157:H7.

The claim will be filed in Thurston County by the Seattle food safety law firm Marler Clark (sponsor of Food Safety News) against Cozy Valley, a dairy in Tenino, WA.

Cozy Valley Creamery recalled its unpasteurized milk products on Nov. 23 this year after three children who drank milk from the dairy were infected by the identical strain of E. coli O157:H7. An investigation by the Washington State Department of Agriculture revealed E. coli O157:H7 contamination in the milking parlor and processing areas that was genetically indistinguishable from the outbreak strain.

Cozy Valley Creamery sold raw whole and skim milk and cream at its farm store and through at least seven retail outlets in Pierce, Thurston and King counties, including markets in Tacoma and Federal Way, two Olympia Food Co-Op locations, Olympia Local Foods in Tumwater, Mt. Community Co-op in Eatonville, and at Yelm Cooperative.

After drinking raw milk from the Cozy Valley Creamery for months, the little girl represented by Marler Clark became sick on Nov. 5 with severe abdominal cramps, nausea and diarrhea. When the child's symptoms worsened and the diarrhea became bloody, her parents took her to a pediatrician, who advised emergency treatment. A stool specimen collected during that visit was later confirmed positive for E. coli O157:H7.

Continue reading, "Lawsuit Filed in Washington State Raw Milk Outbreak" at Food Safety News.

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