HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- School milk that sickened some Henrico County students Thursday was supplied to county schools by Marva Maid.
Henrico County Spokesman, Andy Jenks said that four students at the elementary school reported nausea after drinking the milk. The Henrico County Health Department said they received around 10 calls regarding people feeling ill which could possibly be linked to the spoiled milk.
Premature spoilage on half-pint milk containers dated May 30 was caused by an equipment malfunction, Marva Maid spokeswoman Amber DuMont said. A stuck valve on the equipment could have led to the milk going bad earlier than normal, she said.
"The dairy’s management team immediately investigated the complaint and determined that the milk in question had spoiled two days earlier than expected," the company later said in a statementFriday afternoon.
Accordingly, Marva Maid notified customers on Thursday May 29, that it was voluntarily withdrawing all ½-pints with a May 30 expiration date.
Then the company announced late Friday that it withdrawing all ½-pints with expiration dates from May 30 through June 2 "out of an abundance of caution."
"A number of factors can contribute to milk spoiling before its expiration date. The most common cause is lack of proper refrigeration, which puts added stress on milk and makes it more perishable," the company said.
Marva Maid offered to replacement milk to impacted customers.
Henrico County Public Schools warned parents Thursday night that some students had become ill after drinking school milk.
"I was a little dismayed to understand that there was a problem with the milk," said one parent. "But, it was good to know the correspondence received from the school system was in a very quick manner."
“Their symptoms, mainly nausea, were short-lived. As a precaution, however, we have decided not to serve milk of any type tomorrow (Friday, May 30th), throughout the school system. Juice and water will be offered as alternatives,” the county told parents.
The letter encouraged parents to contact their child’s school on Friday if there were any additional questions or comments.
The Henrico Health Department can be contacted at 804-501-5216.
Marva Maid customers can call 800-768-6243.
