A notable dairy producer from the Midwest has issued a recall for thousands of gallons of milk due to the potential presence of chemical contaminants from cleaning agents in their containers.
Prairie Farms, a company based in Illinois, announced that certain batches of their fat-free milk, produced at their Dubuque, Iowa facility, may contain food-grade cleaning agents. These substances, while safe for use on surfaces during food processing, packaging, or preparation, can pose health risks if ingested.
Food-grade cleaning agents are formulated to be non-toxic when used as intended, meaning that any leftover residues on thoroughly rinsed surfaces should not harm humans. However, ingesting these agents directly and in concentrated forms can lead to severe health issues, such as chemical burns to the mouth and throat, nausea, vomiting, and even poisoning.
The recall impacts approximately 320 gallons of milk that were distributed across Illinois and Wisconsin prior to the recall’s commencement on November 25. Prairie Farms is taking this precautionary measure to prevent any potential illnesses and ensure consumer safety.
But drinking or eating them in concentrated form can cause chemical burns in the mouth and throat, nausea, vomiting and poisoning.
Approximately 320 gallons of the milk were sold across Illinois and Wisconsin before the recall was initiated on November 25.
The recall notice published by the FDA reported that all remaining affected products have been removed from store shelves.
Shoppers can look for the code date CEC08 and the plant code PLT19-145 to determine whether their milk was among those affected.
Samples of the recalled milk were found to contain food safe cleaning chemicals which, despite the name, are not safe for human consumption (stock)
The company was made aware of potential contamination on November 24 and issued a recall a day later.
According to a statement to the FDA: ‘An investigation was immediately initiated, and based on that investigation, affected product was removed from stores and a recall was initiated.’
Prairie Farms has not disclosed how milk became contaminated. The gallons were produced within a narrow three-hour window of time.
No illnesses tied to the recalled milk have been reported.
The company statement added: ‘Consumers who purchased the product with the above code dates should not consume it; they may safely dispose of it or return it to the store for a refund.’
Illinois cities where the milk was distributed include Bloomingdale, Buffalo Grove, Carpentersville, Lakemoor, North Aurora and Rockford.
The Wisconsin cities are Appleton, Beloit, Green Bay, Janesville, Kenosha, Madison, Menomonee Falls, Oak Creek, Onalaska, Racine, Sun Prairie and Waukesha.
In modern dairy plants, automated systems clean the equipment with special chemicals between production runs.
Approximately 320 gallons of the milk were sold across Illinois and Wisconsin before the recall was initiated on November 25
Shoppers can look for the code date CEC08 and the plant code PLT19-145 to determine whether their milk was among those affected
Contamination of this type is often tied to a critical failure in this process. After the chemicals were used, the equipment is not fully rinsed with clean water before milk production resumes, resulting in trace acids entering the final product.
Earlier this year, a major food recall was initiated for over 200,000 pounds of liquid egg products.
The recall was prompted by the potential presence of sodium hypochlorite, a bleach-based cleaning chemical in the products.
Ingesting sodium hypochlorite, a powerful, chlorine-based disinfectant and bleaching agent, can cause severe tissue damage, including severe inflammation, rapid destruction of red blood cells, ulcers and potentially death, according to the CDC.
While health officials assessed the risk to consumers as low, they advised the public to dispose of or return the affected products. No related illnesses were reported in connection with the incident.
The health effects of consuming a food-grade cleaner would depend entirely on how much of the cleaning agent ended up in that gallon of milk, which the company has not disclosed.
Even small amounts of contamination cause nausea, stomach cramps, vomiting and diarrhea, as the chemicals irritate the digestive tract.
High concentrations of chemicals in milk cause immediate burning in the mouth and throat. Symptoms of poisoning include severe abdominal pain, anemia, metabolic disturbances and kidney damage.
Prairie Farms has not yet returned DailyMail.com’s request for comment.
