by Don’t fall for this common fall mistake.
Local health authorities are highlighting the dangers of consuming unpasteurized apple cider, with the Ogle County Health Department in Illinois warning that it may contain harmful bacteria that can make people seriously ill, especially vulnerable populations.
“Apple cider is a drink made from fresh apples,” the health department wrote in a Facebook post last month. “It’s usually a bit cloudy and golden because it’s unfiltered and unpasteurized. Most apple orchards don’t take the time to pasteurize because it’s not necessary.”
Last month, the Fulton County Health Department in Illinois noted on Facebook that foodborne illnesses can be especially serious and even life-threatening for infants, young children, pregnant women, older adults and people with weakened immune systems.
In 2015, unpasteurized apple cider, made at a private dairy farm for a fall festival in Illinois, was blamed for an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness that sickened more than 100 people.
Participants from five states and ten Illinois counties, ranging in age from less than 1 to 89 years, reported having bloody diarrhea, stomach cramps and vomiting.
In a lawsuit, a couple said they became “violently ill” after drinking several samples of the cider and taking a container home.
Officials said the cider contained cryptosporidium, a tiny parasite that can cause watery diarrhea.
Authorities noted that cattle, known to carry cryptosporidium, were near the cider press.
Most juices sold in the US are pasteurized, meaning they have been heated to kill harmful bacteria, yeast and mold.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration requires that packaged unpasteurized juices in the refrigerated sections of supermarkets, health food stores, cider mills or farmers markets have a label that reads:WARNING: This product is not pasteurized and therefore may contain harmful bacteria that can cause serious illness in children, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems.“
However, juices sold by the glass in apple orchards, farmers markets, roadside stands or juice bars do not have to carry this warning.
One health organization recommends pasteurizing the juice at home by heating it at 70 degrees Celsius for at least one minute.
Healthline Nutrition editor Lisa Valente, a registered dietitian, told The Post that if there is any doubt about pasteurization, ask the supplier.
“Farmers markets are part shopping and part social experience,” she said in June.
