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Pennsylvania Listeria Outbreak Has Ohioans Considering Milk Safety

photo of cows
VIVIAN GOODMAN
/
WKSU

A deadly Listeria outbreak in raw milk from a Pennsylvania farm has some Ohioans concerned about milk safety.

Inspection records are available to the public in Ohio, but WKBN News reports that public records are more difficult to obtain in Pennsylvania. Ohio also doesn't allow the sale of raw milk.

Here, only six people have become sick from contaminated milk in the last four years.

Farmers in the Mahoning Valley sell about $67 million worth of milk each year, with some farms subject to six inspectors to ensure pasteurization and bottling are carried out properly. Milking equipment – and the cows themselves – are cleaned regularly.

Milk is also drug-tested before it leaves a farm and then again when it arrives at a bottling facility. That’s to ensure no milk is reaching the public from sick cows that are on antibiotics.

Kabir Bhatia is a senior reporter for Ideastream Public Media's arts & culture team.