E. coli Outbreak Linked To Raw Milk In Whatcom County

Two children are ill due to an E. coli outbreak associated with unpasteurized milk from Grace Harbor Farms, a dairy operation in Whatcom County.

Testing conducted by the Washington Department of Health confirmed the two cases were caused by the same strain of the bacteria.

“Testing showed that the same DNA pattern for this strain of E. coli was present in both cases,” Kathryn MacDonald, an agency epidemiologist, said. “We did the testing to make sure that these cases were connected and that this was not just a coincidence.” One of the children, a boy from King County, remains in a Seattle hospital, recovering from the E. coli infection. No new victims have surfaced.

“Grace Harbor is a licensed raw milk producer and has been very cooperative during this investigation,” Jerry Buendel, WSDA assistant director for food safety and consumer services said. “They have consistently passed all of our inspections and met our licensing agreements.”

Grace Harbor Dairy Distributed To The Following Stores: Whole Foods: Roosevelt Square (Seattle), Bellevue and Renton

PCC Stores in the greater Seattle area

Community Food Co-op in Bellingham

The Farm Store in Custer, Washington

Grace Harbor sells its products in several counties through health food stores, PCC Natural markets and Whole Foods Market.

The contaminated milk has been taken off store shelves and health and agriculture officials are asking consumers to dispose of and Grace Harbor raw milk they may currently have in their homes. The recommendation does not extend to Grace Harbor’s pasteurized milk products.

Health officials said if anyone purchased the dairy's raw cow's milk or raw goat's milk they need to either throw it away or take it back to the store where they bought it.