newjerseynewsroom.com

BY BOB HOLT

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

New Jersey Department of Agriculture officials announced that a New York company is recalling milk that could have been sold in small stores in 11 New Jersey counties,

Midland Farms of Menands, N.Y., which ships milk into northern New Jersey, is recalling all milk products with a "sell by" date of Sept. 24 because of improper pasteurization, according to a state Department of Agriculture press release. While the recalled products have not been found to be contaminated with any harmful pathogens, the release said the company is voluntarily recalling all production from the day a failure was found at its New York plant as a precautionary measure.

According to philly.com, inspectors found failed pasteurization equipment at the Midland Farm plant near Albany on Tuesday. The company agreed to the recall as a precaution against bacterial contaminants such as listeria and salmonella. There had been no reports of illness as of Thursday.

Thirdage.com reports that according to traditional dairy plant operations and procedures, the product would be deemed safe. However, due to a mechanical malfunction with a chart recording instrument, Midland Farms was unable to record and document the standard pasteurization process. This record-keeping anomaly is the reason for the voluntary recall.

CLICK HERE FOR LIST OF RECALLED MILK PRODUCTS

On Labor Day, September 6, employees sought to repair the recording device and were unable to procure parts due to the holiday. Using a manual technique, experienced Midland Farms employees continued to test the milk every hour verifying proper pasteurization with a standard Flourophos Phosphatase Test. All of the tests came back normal, and all other machinery necessary for the pasteurization process was working properly.

NJ.com reports that Jeff Beach of the New Jersey Department of Agriculture, said the milk could be in New Jersey stores in Bergen, Passaic, Sussex, Union, Essex, Warren, Hunterdon, Morris, Middlesex, Somerset and Monmouth.

According to the New York State Department of Agriculture & Markets, the milk was also sold in New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The milk has the plant code 36-1661.

Jessica Ziehm, a spokeswoman for the New York State Department of Agriculture says that between 8,000 and 10,000 gallons of milk is being recalled, adding that in some instances the milk hadn't made it on the shelves when the recall effort began. She said the plant contacted 123 customers — mostly convenience stores — and instructed the stores and distributors in the five state region to pull the milk from shelves and stop all sales.

Beach said in the press release that Midland Farms milk is sold under four brand names: Midland Farms, Jersey Dairy Farms, Corrado's Market and Trade Fair Premium.

Milk should be returned to the place of purchase or discarded. For more details, go to www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/ucm225221.htm.

Consumers with questions may contact Midland Farms directly at 518-436-7038.