FRESNO -- State officials announced on Sept. 29 that an investigation of a raw milk dairy whose product had been recalled showed the company's facilities were clean, allowing them to market milk again.

"Zero pathogens have been found in the state of California linked to organic dairy," said Mark McAfee, owner of Organic Pastures Dairy. "We test our milk all the time, we agree that raw milk from factory farms should not be consumed, but we have grass-fed cows whose milk we can get test results from in a matter of hours."

Since no contamination was found, investigators have lifted the quarantine, said Steve Lyle with the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

The state veterinarian decided to recall milk from the Fresno-based company on Sept. 21 after it was linked to E. coli contamination that sent three children in San Bernardino, Riverside and San Diego counties to the hospital. But nothing suspicious was found during an investigation of the dairy.

- Most milk sold in grocery stores is pasteurized, but raw dairy products may contain disease-causing microorganisms.

Infants, the elderly, pregnant women and those with weak immune systems are especially vulnerable, officials said. Raw dairy products are outlawed in many states.

On the Net:

Organic Pastures Dairy Company: http://www.organicpastures.com