 Staff photo by Chris Seward |
| Robert Nutter restocks the cooler at the Maple View store near the farm in rural Orange County after the dairy had to recall some of its products. |
HILLSBOROUGH - Maple View Farm has resumed milk production after tests by the state's Food and Drug Protection Division determined the dairy's milk no longer contains excessive levels of a cancer-causing agent.
The dairy recalled milk products sold in six counties last week after routine tests showed levels of a carcinogen called aflatoxin slightly above federal standards. Aflatoxin is usually dangerous only when consumed in high amounts over a long period, and state officials did not expect any public health risk from the milk.
The toxin is a byproduct of a mold present on corn fed to the dairy's cows.
Dairy workers thought the corn had been tested for the toxin by the farmer they purchased it from. It was the first time the dairy had bought feed from that farmer, said Roger Nutter, the dairy's plant manager.
The Food and Drug Protection Division is investigating where else that farmer may have sold corn, director Joe Reardon said.
The 10-year-old, family-run dairy estimates that it lost about 9,000 gallons of milk worth $30,000, office manager Muffin Brosig said.
"There's no way we can recover it this year," Brosig said.
Though the dairy was cleared to resume milk production Saturday, it had more bad news over the weekend:
A safe, $5,000 in cash and another $30 in a pint jar were stolen from the milk company office at 3109 Dairyland Road, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Office.
Staff photo by Chris Seward |
| Robert Nutter restocks the cooler at the Maple View store near the farm in rural Orange County after the dairy had to recall some of its products. |