Preliminary tests show cider from mill tainted with E. coli

DETROIT (AP) - Several hundred gallons of apple cider from a southern Michigan mill is being recalled after preliminary tests revealed the presence of E. coli bacteria, state officials said yesterday.

There were no immediate reports of illnesses from cider produced at Schlubatis Orchards in Coldwater, about 100 miles west of Detroit.

Michigan Department of Agriculture officials said yesterday that it's believed to be an isolated incident, although its unclear exactly how many gallons may have been tainted.

As a precaution, Schlubatis Orchards is recalling all cider sold after Sept. 29. The preliminary test was drawn Sept. 30, from a 300-gallon batch.

The cider is sold exclusively on the premises in unlabeled plastic gallon and half-gallon containers, but the orchard's name is on the cap, said Willard Schlubatis, owner of the orchards.

"Right now, I have never felt worse in my life," said Schlubatis, who owns 120 acres of apple trees in Branch County that his family has pressed into cider in Coldwater since 1942. "We've been in this business for 50 years and took pride in every gallon of cider we made."

About 15 gallons of the suspected cider was destroyed. The rest is believed to have been sold, said Jerry Wojtala, chief food scientist with the Department of Agriculture.

"It is important that the public understand this action is being taken as a precaution," Dan Wyant, director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture, said in a news release. "The positive sample was found of our routine cider testing program and there are no reported cases of illness."

E. coli, usually found in human and animal waste, causes severe, bloody diarrhea and stomach cramps. The infection usually goes away in a week, but sometimes is fatal. About 10,000 to 20,000 E. coli infections occur in the United States each year.

The 300-gallon batch that tested positive was the second batch produced this season at the orchard, Schlubatis said.

"After they find the cause, then we'll be probably be the most sanitary and best place to buy cider in Michigan," he said.

Every cider mill in the state is tested at least once a year for E. coli and yesterday's result is one of the first times a cider sample has tested positive, Wojtala said.

Subsequent batches have been produced this month at the orchard and officials with the Department of Agriculture were conducting further tests yesterday. Results are expected Saturday or Sunday, Wojtala said.

In June and July, about 60 people in Michigan were sickened by E. coli bacteria. About half those cases were linked to tainted alfalfa sprouts.

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