(NewsNation) — A woman has filed a lawsuit against a Florida dairy farm, alleging that her toddler became sick from consuming raw milk and that she ultimately lost her unborn child after becoming exposed to the milk.
Rachel Maddox is suing Keely Farms Dairy in New Smyrna Beach, claiming she was “unaware of any potential dangers” when she purchased the raw milk for her family, according to NBC News.
In August, raw milk from the farm was linked to an outbreak of infections, with 21 people falling ill with campylobacter and Shiga toxin-producing E. coli infections. The Florida Department of Health reports that six of those people were children under the age of 10.
According to NBC News, Maddox’s lawsuit alleges her toddler became sick in June after consuming the raw milk and had to be hospitalized.
While she herself did not consume the milk, Maddox said she went on to contract the infections from caring for her sick child and alleges these infections resulted in the loss of her unborn child around the 20-week mark of her pregnancy. The lawsuit is seeking compensatory damages and relief.
The Florida Department of Health is warning residents that raw milk can only be sold for nonhuman consumption in the state as pet or animal food, and producers are required to state this on container labels.
Raw milk from cows, sheep, goats or other animals has not been pasteurized, which means it didn’t go through a heat-treating process that destroys potentially harmful bacteria.