Officials Warn Consumers of Tainted Ice Cream

The Pennsylvania Department of Health and the Allegheny County Health Department issued a joint health advisory Friday, adding ice cream to the list of tainted products that the Brunton Dairy in Independence Township sold.

A positive culture for Yersinia enterocolitica was uncovered in an unopened container of Brunton Dairy ice cream that a consumer provided to the health department. Additional testing on ice cream products from the dairy is still under way through the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. 

The health departments are advising consumers and retailers to discard all ice cream purchased from the dairy as a precautionary measure. Ice cream and bottled milk production has been suspended at the facility since the last week of July.  

in Upper St. Clair was one of dozens of Pittsburgh area stores that sold Brunton Dairy products. Emma's took the Brunton Dairy products of the shelves .

To date, 16 cases of Yersinia enterocolitica have been reported as a result of the outbreak—seven from Allegheny County and nine from Beaver County. 

Any person who consumed a product from Brunton Dairy and has symptoms of diarrhea is advised to contact their health care provider to assure appropriate specimens are collected and treatment is administered. Yersinia infections can be treated with antibiotics.

Ill individuals, health care providers or laboratories can contact the Pennsylvania Department of Health at 1-877-PA-HEALTH (1-877-724-3258) or the Allegheny County Health Department at 412-687-ACHD (2243).