Don’t fall for this common autumn mistake.
Local health authorities are highlighting the risks of consuming unpasteurized apple cider, with the Ogle County Health Department in Illinois warning that it might contain harmful bacteria that may severely sicken people, especially vulnerable populations.
“Apple cider is a beverage created from fresh apples,” the health department wrote in a Facebook post last month. “It is often a bit murky and golden-colored since it’s unfiltered and unpasteurized. Most apple orchards don’t take the time to pasteurize since it shouldn’t be required.”
On Facebook last month, the Fulton County Health Department in Illinois noted that foodborne illness could be especially severe and even life-threatening for infants, young children, pregnant women, older adults and folks with weakened immune systems.
In 2015, unpasteurized apple cider made on a personal dairy farm for a fall festival in Illinois was blamed for a gastrointestinal illness outbreak that sickened greater than 100 people.
Attendees from five states and 10 Illinois counties, ranging in age from lower than 1 to 89, reported experiencing bloody diarrhea, stomach cramps and bouts of vomiting.
In a lawsuit, one couple said they became “violently unwell” after drinking several samples of the cider and bringing a container home with them.
Officials said the cider contained cryptosporidium, a tiny parasite that could cause watery diarrhea.
Authorities noted that cattle, known to hold cryptosporidium, were near the cider press.
Most juices sold within the US are pasteurized, which implies they’ve been heated to kill harmful bacteria, yeasts and molds.
The US Food and Drug Administration requires packaged unpasteurized juices within the refrigerated sections of grocery stores, health-food stores, cider mills or farm markets to have a label that reads: “WARNING: This product has not been pasteurized and subsequently may contain harmful bacteria that could cause serious illness in children, the elderly, and individuals with weakened immune systems.“
Nevertheless, juices sold by the glass at apple orchards, farmers markets, roadside stands or juice bars are usually not required to bear that warning.
One health agency recommends pasteurizing the juice at home by heating it to 70 degrees Celsius for a minimum of one minute.
Healthline Nutrition Editor Lisa Valente, a registered dietitian, told The Post if there’s any doubt about pasteurization, remember to ask the seller.
“Farmers markets are part shopping and part social experience,” she said in June.
Don’t fall for this common autumn mistake.
Local health authorities are highlighting the risks of consuming unpasteurized apple cider, with the Ogle County Health Department in Illinois warning that it might contain harmful bacteria that may severely sicken people, especially vulnerable populations.
“Apple cider is a beverage created from fresh apples,” the health department wrote in a Facebook post last month. “It is often a bit murky and golden-colored since it’s unfiltered and unpasteurized. Most apple orchards don’t take the time to pasteurize since it shouldn’t be required.”
On Facebook last month, the Fulton County Health Department in Illinois noted that foodborne illness could be especially severe and even life-threatening for infants, young children, pregnant women, older adults and folks with weakened immune systems.
In 2015, unpasteurized apple cider made on a personal dairy farm for a fall festival in Illinois was blamed for a gastrointestinal illness outbreak that sickened greater than 100 people.
Attendees from five states and 10 Illinois counties, ranging in age from lower than 1 to 89, reported experiencing bloody diarrhea, stomach cramps and bouts of vomiting.
In a lawsuit, one couple said they became “violently unwell” after drinking several samples of the cider and bringing a container home with them.
Officials said the cider contained cryptosporidium, a tiny parasite that could cause watery diarrhea.
Authorities noted that cattle, known to hold cryptosporidium, were near the cider press.
Most juices sold within the US are pasteurized, which implies they’ve been heated to kill harmful bacteria, yeasts and molds.
The US Food and Drug Administration requires packaged unpasteurized juices within the refrigerated sections of grocery stores, health-food stores, cider mills or farm markets to have a label that reads: “WARNING: This product has not been pasteurized and subsequently may contain harmful bacteria that could cause serious illness in children, the elderly, and individuals with weakened immune systems.“
Nevertheless, juices sold by the glass at apple orchards, farmers markets, roadside stands or juice bars are usually not required to bear that warning.
One health agency recommends pasteurizing the juice at home by heating it to 70 degrees Celsius for a minimum of one minute.
Healthline Nutrition Editor Lisa Valente, a registered dietitian, told The Post if there’s any doubt about pasteurization, remember to ask the seller.
“Farmers markets are part shopping and part social experience,” she said in June.
