CHAPEL HILL -- Maple View milk could be back on shelves today.
After pulling all of its milk and milk products -- except for ice cream -- off shelves last week, the Orange County dairy expects to begin producing milk this morning, Bob Nutter, owner of the dairy farm, said Sunday.
"When we milked last night, it tested all right," Nutter said. "We'll be back bottling tomorrow."
The recall, which affected 46 stores in six counties that use Maple View products, didn't include ice cream because it was made from milk produced before the problems emerged.
The products were recalled after test results last week showed a level of aflatoxins above federal levels, in both milk from the farm and corn that had been fed to the dairy's cows.
Aflatoxins are a byproduct of the mold Aspergillus flavus, and can cause cancer in humans and livestock when ingested in large amounts.
No illnesses have been reported from Maple View milk. The last time state agriculture officials recorded aflatoxins above limits was in 2004, at a Harnett County farm. Maple View and state agriculture officials blame the current level of the toxin on a load of corn purchased recently from another farm. Maple View came up clear during testing done in February.
Last Thursday, after Maple View received word of the high level, workers recalled all milk, cream and butter with a sell-buy date of Aug. 25 and buttermilk with a Sept. 5 date -- about a day's worth of production. Farm officials called all their retailers to tell them to pull the milk.
Maple View stopped feeding the corn in question to its cows immediately, and voluntarily pulled it products.