An Illinois dairy recalled milk, cheese and dairy products after the state Department of Public Health found that its pasteurizing equipment was not operating properly, potentially allowing raw milk to be mixed with pasteurized milk.

State inspectors said that a system-controlled pump, designed to stop the production process if raw milk pressure exceeded pasteurized pressure, was bypassed and replaced with a pump not wired into the controls at Ludwig Dairy Products, Inc.,  located in Dixon. 

As a result, the Dixon-based Ludwig Dairy Products has recalled its name brand products, which are sold mostly in northern Illinois counties (Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, Will), but also in Indiana, New Jersey and New York.

A drinkable yogurt product is also sold under the Nuestro Queso brand.

No illnesses have been reported in connection with Ludwig Dairy Products (Dixon, IL). 

In a news release, the Illinois Department of Health warned the public not to consume Ludwig Dairy Products (Dixon, IL) until the dairy pasteurizing equipment is operating correctly. People who have purchased the dairy products should throw them out, the state advised.

Ludwig Dairy Products (Dixon, IL) is working with the public-health authorities to determine the extent of the improper pasteurization. 

Pasteurization is the process of heating milk to a high enough temperature for a long enough time to kill illness-causing bacteria contained in the raw milk. Raw milk and products made from it (such as cheeses and yogurts made with raw milk) can be contaminated with bacteria that can cause serious illness, hospitalization or death. Illness can include days of diarrhea, stomach cramping and vomiting. Less common and more serious illness can include kidney failure, paralysis and chronic disorders.

Editor’s note: Ludwig Dairy Products in Dixon, IL is not related to Ludwig Farmstead Creamery in Fithian, IL.