KAILUA-KONA — The Hawaii State Department of Health issued a cease and desist order to Meadow Gold Dairies Monday, instructing the company to halt the distribution and sale of its 2 percent reduced fat milk after several lab tests revealed consistently elevated levels of coliform bacteria.
KAILUA-KONA — The Hawaii State Department of Health issued a cease and desist order to Meadow Gold Dairies Monday, instructing the company to halt the distribution and sale of its 2 percent reduced fat milk after several lab tests revealed consistently elevated levels of coliform bacteria.
DOH testing conducted on milk samples from Meadow Gold Dairies on Jan. 19, Feb. 6 and Feb. 22 all revealed coliform levels exceeding acceptable standards by more than 1,000 percent.
The tests showed bacteria levels of more than 150/ml, 130/ml and more than 150/ml on the three dates in question, respectively. The maximum levels allowed for pasteurized milk that still meets national standards is 10/ml, according to a DOH release.
“Milk production is regulated with routine testing both at the farm and after packaging to ensure a safe product,” said Peter Oshiro, program manager of the DOH Sanitation Branch, in the release. “Department of Health inspectors will work with Meadow Gold Dairies to investigate the possible source of contamination, approve a plan of correction and conduct further testing to confirm the company meets the standards to resume 2 percent reduced fat milk distribution and sale.”
According to the New York State Department of Health website, coliform bacteria is continuously present in the digestive tracts of animals and humans, and is present in their waste. Various forms of the bacteria may also be present in plant and soil material.
For the most part, coliform bacteria does not cause disease, although some rare strains of E. coli can result in dangerous illness, the website stated.
Meadow Gold sells milk under several labels at food outlets across the state, including TruMoo, DairyPure and Milk Life.
Oshiro said all Meadow Gold 2 percent milk products featuring the plant number 15-01 came from the production center in question. Meadow Gold 2 percent chocolate milk, however, is considered an entirely different product and its distribution has not been halted.
Cease and desist orders are implemented by the DOH when a plant’s product(s) fails to meet national standards on any three samples over a five-month period, Oshiro said, which is what led to the order handed down by the DOH Monday.
He added, however, that no recall has been issued, and those who have bought the milk recently can continue to drink it if they choose.
“This is not a recall issue, this is a quality control issue,” Oshiro explained in an interview with WHT Monday. “If the Department of Health thought it was somehow endangering public health, we would have recalled the milk.”
Hawaii Department of Education communications specialist Lindsay Chambers said the department contracts with Meadow Gold to supply milk to its public schools but does not serve 2 percent milk, the only product DOH testing has brought into question.
Instead, the DOE serves only 1 percent, skim and skim chocolate milk.
“We’re in touch with them, but it doesn’t impact what we use,” Chambers said.
According to the DOH release, Meadow Gold Dairies 2 percent reduced fat milk will be subject to additional testing and must meet health safety standards before the company can put it back on the market.
As of Monday night, some stores in the Kona area still had the product on their shelves.