Anyone who has recently bought Blue Marble Family Farm milk products is being warned to discard the product because it may not be properly pasteurized.

The Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection issued a consumer alert Wednesday evening after lab tests confirmed the pasteurization of the products may have been inadequate. Food safety officials are unaware of any illnesses caused by the products.

The products include whole milk, skim milk, chocolate milk, heavy whipping cream, half and half, buttermilk and eggnog in a variety of sizes. They have "sell by" dates of Nov. 27 and later and are believed to have been distributed primarily in southern Wisconsin, including the Madison area. The dairy plant number 55131 is on the label.

Lab tests resulting from a routine inspection showed the presence of an active enzyme that is normally destroyed by pasteurization.

Pasteurization is a heating process that destroys disease-causing bacteria, including salmonella, e. coli, campylobacter jejuni, and listeria monocytogenes. Food-borne bacteria may cause illness with symptoms ranging from nausea and diarrhea to kidney failure, paralysis and death. Listeria infections may cause pregnant women to miscarry.

The products were produced at Barneveld-based Blue Marble Family Farm in a licensed on-farm bottling plant. Repeated attempts to contact the owners to learn more specific information have been unsuccessful, the department said in a press release.

The company's Web site was not accessible Friday morning. According to a posting on www.chicagocooks.com: "Blue Marble Family Farm produces milk that is the very freshest possible. It is "grown," pasteurized and bottled right here at the farm and delivered within hours, directly to a retail outlet near you. All of the milk comes from a single herd of cattle that are loved and cared for everyday. We use only glass bottles because glass keeps milk colder and, well, milk just plain tastes better in glass."

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