‘Tainted’ milk cartons ‘inadvertently’ filled with sanitizer and sent to Boston schools and others

BOSTON — A troubling mixup involving milk sent to Boston Public Schools.

Half-pint milk cartons, filled with sanitizer and water, had to be pulled from several locations after a mixup by milk supplier Garelick Farms.

There are no indications, at this point, of any illness related to mixup. The exact number of cartons involved in the matter is unclear.

“Boston is one of several school districts that received a delivery of tainted milk from Garelick Farms,” according to BPS spokesperson Jonathan Palumbo. “We immediately removed the milk from our schools and destroyed it all.”

“We reported the incident to Boston Inspectional Service and requested that the company conduct a thorough investigation. From what I have been told, there were potentially other districts in Massachusetts who ran into this issue and a number of school districts in New Jersey as well.” said Palumbo.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said she was “thankful” the district quickly handled the issue.

“While no BPS student was harmed, it’s unacceptable that these contaminated milk cartons ever left the supplier and the Mayor’s Office will work with BPS to ensure this won’t happen again,” Wu said.

In a letter to BPS dated April 6, Garelick Farms says it was first made aware of the problem on April 1 after a complaint from BPS.

The cartons of Dairy Pure 1% low fat reportedly had a “watery substance” in the carton, according to the letter from Garelick Farms.

“After a detailed review, it was determined that a number of Dairy Pure 1% low fat half-pint cartons produced between 2:48-2:51 a.m. with a sell by date of APR 10 were inadvertently filled with food grade sanitizer diluted with water during production,” according to the letter.

All of the products have been pulled from Boston Public School locations, according to Garelick Farms, and “evaluation for flavor, odor and appearance was performed.”

“While there is not a health or food safety risk associated with this product, it does not reflect our quality standards,” according to the letter.

Garelick Farms says it has instituted “corrective actions” as a result of the problem.

“We sincerely apologize for this unfortunate, isolated incident, and appreciate the time and effort you took to inform us of this matter,” said Garelick Farms in its letter to the school system.

Boston 25 News has reached out to Garelick Farms for more information.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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