14 hours Ago By Mitch M. Rosenthal
Public health officials are ringing the alarm bells for dairy enthusiasts across New Hampshire, as a potential Listeria contamination puts the brakes on raw milk sales from a local farm. In announcements that echoed through reports from Boston 25 News and NBC Boston, Brookvale Pines Farm in Fremont has ceased the sale of its raw milk product, available in half-gallon jugs, following the detection of a Listeria-infected cow. The unsettling discovery has spurred a slew of safety precautions to prevent any possible fallout from the consumption of products with a "best used by" date of March 22 or earlier.
The dairy alert comes as a cow from Brookvale Pines Farm was diagnosed with the bacterial infection, causing state health officials to jump into action. Despite the farm's commitment to quality, it serves as a harsh reminder that unpasteurized milk holds the risk of harboring serious pathogens. As a result, individuals are formally advised to rid their fridges of the farm's raw milk for the aforementioned dates.
Health roadmaps aren't always clear-cut, but in this instance, the path is unequivocal: avoid the milk in question and stay vigilant for symptoms that could indicate a Listeria infection, as instructed by Iain Watt, Director of the NH Division of Public Health Services, in statements obtained by Boston 25 News.For those unsuspecting shoppers who have already indulged in the implicated batches and are now threading a line of concern, early symptoms to look out for are fever, muscle aches, and gastrointestinal distress, which can typically conclude without medical intervention. However, Listeria is not a bacterium to underestimate—it poses a real threat that can escalate to severe, life-threatening complications if the infection spreads beyond the gut, especially in the more vulnerable populations such as the elderly, the pregnant, and immunocompromised individuals.
There's an ongoing effort to prevent this incident from evolving into any more than a cautionary tale. Brookvale Pines Farm is proactively working alongside state health officials, putting in place mitigative measures including conducting comprehensive milk testing and reaching out directly to customers potentially affected by the raw milk sales prior to March 12. If concerns or symptoms escalate after consumption, it's critical to get in touch with your healthcare provider, or contact the state Division of Public Health Services at 603-271-4496.
For more in-depth information about raw milk and the risks it harbors, the CDC provides resources that are just a click away at their website, alluded in a statement obtained by NBC Boston..
