An outbreak of E. coli that has sickened eight people has been traced to a Southern Minnesota dairy farm, says the Minnesota Department of Health.  The farm, Hartmann Dairy Farm, however, continues to deny responsibility.  The hospitalizations have set off a debate over the dangers of raw dairy products.

The Minnesota Department of Health first identified Hartmann farm, in rural Gibbon, Minnesota, in a May 26^th press release.  The Department strongly cautioned consumers to avoid purchasing dairy products from Hartmann, and to discard any products already purchased.  In a subsequent press release, Health Department officials revealed that they had gathered solid epidemiological evidence that Hartmann was the source of the outbreak, finding, “that the only thing the ill people had in common was consumption of dairy products from the Hartmann farm.”  The Department of Health’s position was bolstered by laboratory results that confirmed that the specific strain of E. coli found in the five victims, E. coli O157:H7, was also found in several of the farm’s animals, and at numerous locations on the property.

Strangely, however, Hartmann Dairy Farm maintains that they are not the source of the outbreak.  On May 28^th, Hartmann shot back with a press release that attacked the notion that unpasteurized milk is dangerous and the individuals and agencies that enforce food safety regulations.  The Hartmann family complained that a search warrant had been executed on their farm, as “the Sibley County Sheriff and eight armed deputies, the department officials seized samples of milk, cleaning water, waste barrel contents, and manure, along with copies of records of customers, phone numbers, and delivery sites.”  Apparently in denial about the benefits of pasteurization, the Hartmann press release goes on to deny that consumption of raw milk is potentially harmful, blaming the “bias” and “arbitrary conclusion” of Minnesota Department of Agriculture Director of Dairy and Food Inspection, Heidi Kassenborg.

Despite Hartmann Dairy Farm’s growing support among the organic and natural foods movement, virtually every federal, state and local health agency nationwide cautions against the consumption of raw milk.  Milk is considered “raw” when it has not been pasteurized, a process developed by Louis Pasteur in 1864 that involves heating milk to a specific temperature.  The heating process kills harmful pathogens (including E. coli) that can make consumers ill.  The Food and Drug Administration provides a helpful guide on the dangers of unpasteurized dairy products.