State issues warning about possibly contaminated milk
By Stephen Smith, Globe Staff
State health authorities tonight urged consumers not to drink milk produced by Whittier Farms in Shrewsbury after an investigation showed it is the likely source of a bacterial illness that killed two elderly men and made two other people sick.
The dairy company agreed to stop production and to alert its customers, who are mainly in the central part of the state. The four people who fell ill with listeriosis all live in Worcester County.
Brand names produced by the company include Whittier, Schultz, Balance Rock, Spring Brook, and Maple, according to state authorities.
Symptoms of the disease include fever, muscle aches, and sometimes nausea or diarrhea. Most people exposed to the bacterium suffer only mild, flu-like symptoms, but the germ can prove deadly to those with underlying medical conditions. Each year in Massachusetts, about 20 to 25 cases of the disease are identified, but that likely represents only a small fraction of the true number.
The state's top disease tracker, Dr. Alfred DeMaria, said in an interview that a milk sample taken today from Whittier Farm tested positive for listeria.
Sophisticated laboratory testing showed that the four people who became ill were infected with identical strains of listeria. The sample taken at the farm will be analyzed to see if it matches the strain in the people.



Has the Light Cream from Whittier Farms been found with Listeria too?
does this include Maple Farm in Mendon, Ma
Yesterday I was traveling the MA Pike east and had coffee with cream at McDonald's in Charlton. About 1 1/2 hours later I suddenly became very sick in my gastro-intestinal track.
Janice,
According to its web site, Maple Farm Dairy in Mendon gets all its milk from the Whittier Farm in West Sutton. A recorded phone message says Maple Farm Dairy has stopped deliveries until it finds a new supplier and advises its customers to throw away their milk.
Elizabeth Cooney
Harriet,
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has warned consumers not to drink any milk products from Whittier Farms because of listeria bacteria contamination.
Elizabeth Cooney
Linda,
Whittier Farms mostly sells its products at its two Worcester-area retail stores and by delivering to customers' homes, and it says it does not deal with major retailers, so your illness is not likely to be related.
Between the 2 of us my husband and I drank a 64 fl oz of Whittier farms egg nog we bought Dec. 24th. It was delicious and no problems.
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