Calif. Orders Recall of Organic Cream after Finding Listeria

California agriculture officials ordered an organic dairy to recall and quarantine some of its Grade A raw cream after finding product that contained a bacteria that can cause serious or fatal infections in children, the elderly or those with weakened immune systems.

Consumers should dispose of Grade A raw cream produced at Organic Pastures Dairy Company’s Fresno facility with code dates SEP 14 through SEP 21, the California Department of Food and Agriculture said. That product also should be pulled immediately from grocery shelves, retail stores and farmers markets, officials said.

Organic Pastures is also banned from producing raw cream for the retail market until further notice, officials said.

Officials issued the quarantine order after routine product tests detected the Listeria monocytogenes bacteria, a microorganism that can cause the serious infections in children and the elderly. Healthy adults can experience symptoms including fevers, severe headaches, nausea and diarrhea.

Raw cream is not pasteurized, a process that eliminates the risk of bacterial illness.