Recall to manage Listeria in raw milk

Real Milk Timaru brand raw unpasteurised drinking milk was sold via a vending machine, home deliveries in the South Canterbury area and online.

Use-by dates and lot numbers for the recalled product can be found on New Zealand Food Safety’s (NZFS) website.

NZFS national compliance services manager Jenny Bishop says she is advising customers to check the lot number and use-by date of the product and date of purchase.

“If you have any of the recalled product, throw it out or return it to Real Milk Timaru. Alternatively, heat it to 70°C and hold at this temperature for one minute. If you don’t have a thermometer, heat the milk until it nearly reaches a boil before drinking it,” Bishop says.

She warns that Listeria (listeriosis) can be serious among vulnerable groups such as pregnant women and their unborn babies, newborn babies, people with weakened immune systems, and elderly people.

“For those in high-risk groups, listeriosis typically has an incubation period of 2 to 3 weeks or longer before symptoms appear.

“Healthy adults are likely to experience only mild infection, causing mild diarrhoea and flu-like symptoms.”

Bishop says that anyone who has consumed the product and has concerns about their health, should seek medical advice.