OREGON, Ill. ( WTVO ) — Fall is in the air, and apple orchards are selling cinnamon donuts and apple cider. But health officials are warning that in some cases, drinking unpasteurized apple cider can be harmful.
According to the Ogle County Health Department in Illinois, apple cider — which appears murky and golden colored — does not usually go through a pasteurization, a process involving the application of mild heat, to kill potentially harmful bacteria.
Most people’s bodies can fight off a potential foodborne illness, but others aren’t able to. The health department said, “Highly susceptible populations are the most likely to be affected by unpasteurized apple cider.” Those populations include infants, pregnant people, the elderly and others with weaker immune systems.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says it has received reports of outbreaks of food poisoning that have been traced to drinking fruit and vegetable juice and cider that has not been pasteurized.