NEWSWORKS TONIGHT

The Pennsylvania Health Department is investigating a spate of bacterial illnesses. Several sickened people told health officials they drank raw milk from the same farm store in south-central Pennsylvania.

State health officials are collecting milk from homes and testing samples from The Family Cow dairy in Chambersburg.

Enthusiasts seek out raw milk because it's not pasteurized and usually comes from grass-fed cows.

Paul Lawler, who manages the Fair Food Farm Stand in Philadelphia's Reading Terminal Market, stocks raw milk to give small dairy farms a more profitable retail outlet — and because he loves the taste.

"It's like having a fine cheese versus an American processed cheese. It's just got a wealth of flavor because the cows are out eating their natural diet on grass," Lawler said. "So in the spring and summer, it can have these garlicky, grassy rich butter flavors."

Lawler has temporarily halted sales of the Family Cow raw milk, but says he'll keep stocking other brands.

Family Cow stopped selling its raw milk voluntarily following reports that some customers fell ill with campylobacter infection. It can trigger stomach ache, vomiting and nausea. Tuesday afternoon, the health department had tracked 20 confirmed cases of campylobacter infection, 16 in Pennsylvania and four in Maryland.

Food-borne illnesses have many sources but the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website calls raw milk one of the "riskiest of all."

Retired veterinarian Mark Lopez, who owns Wholesome Dairy Farms in Yellow House, Berks County, said dairy practices vary farm to farm.

"If you get raw milk, you have to, as the bumper sticker saying goes, 'Know Your Farmer,'" Lopez said.

New Jersey bans all sales of raw milk; in Pennsylvania, raw milk sellers need a permit. The milk is tested twice a month to monitor bacteria levels.

Lopez says his loyal customers come to the farm to buy their milk and appreciate getting first-hand information on how the cows are fed and treated. While customers often worry about growth hormones or antibiotics, he said, they don't ask about the results of his bacteria testing.

"Never once have I had anyone ask me what my coliform counts are, and I think that's probably the most relevant question anybody should ask when you are dealing with raw milk," Lopez said.

A coliform count is a marker for the amount of manure contamination in the milk.

WHYY/NewsWorks contacted the Family Cow store by phone and email but did not receive a response by deadline.