Don’t fall for this common fall mistake.
Local health authorities are highlighting the dangers of consuming unpasteurized apple cider, with the Ogle County Health Department in Illinois warning that it may contain harmful bacteria that can make people seriously ill, especially vulnerable populations.
“Apple Mule is a drink made from fresh apples,” the health department wrote in a Facebook post last month. It is usually slightly cloudy and golden in color because it is unfiltered and unpasteurized. Most apple orchards don’t take the time to pasteurize because it’s not required.”
On Facebook last month, the Fulton County Health Department in Illinois noted that foodborne illness can be particularly severe and even life-threatening for infants, young children, pregnant women, older adults and people with a weakened immune system.
In 2015, unpasteurized apple cider made at a private dairy farm for a fall festival in Illinois was blamed for an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness that sickened more than 100 people.
Participants from five states and 10 Illinois counties, ranging in age from less than 1 to 89 years old, reported experiencing bloody diarrhea, stomach cramps and bouts of vomiting.
In one lawsuit, a couple said they became seriously ill after drinking a few samples of the cider and brought a container home with them.
Officials said the cider contained cryptosporidium, a tiny parasite that can cause watery diarrhea.
Authorities noted that cattle, known to carry cryptosporidium, were near the cider press.
Most juices sold in the U.S. are pasteurized, which means they’ve been heated to kill harmful bacteria, yeast, and mold.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires unpasteurized packaged juices in the refrigerated sections of grocery stores, health food stores, cider mills, or farmers markets to have a label that reads:WARNING: This product has not been pasteurized and therefore may contain harmful bacteria that can cause serious illness in children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems.“
However, juices sold by the glass at apple orchards, farmers markets, roadside stands or juice bars are not required to carry this warning.
A health agency recommends pasteurizing juice at home by heating it to 70 degrees Celsius for at least one minute.
Healthline Nutrition editor Lisa Valente, a registered dietitian, told The Post if there’s any doubt about pasteurization, be sure to ask the retailer.
“Farmers markets are part shopping and part social experience,” she said in June.
#Unpasteurized #apple #cider #sick #health #agencies
Image Source : nypost.com