Bermuda?s newest milk has been pulled off the shelves by the Department of Health last week after testing revealed the bacteria content in a batch of the product was ?unacceptably? high.

Chief Environmental Officer Estlyn Harvey told yesterday the Bermuda Creamery and MarketPlace milk, which had been selling at all MarketPlace stores for more than a month, had been pulled off the shelves until new batches of the product met the required bacteria levels.

The Health Department is investigating the product and has been vigilantly testing each batch through the Government laboratory, said Mrs. Harvey.

She said the bacteria levels were thought to be higher than acceptable due to a switch in the Creamery?s cleaning agent used to sterilise processing equipment.

?If any product has undesirable results after being tested, it will not be put out for consumption,? said Mrs. Harvey, who also advised anyone who may have consumed the milk recently not to panic.

Once the milk meets the required standard Mrs. Harvey said it would be put out for sale. Roddy Ferguson, general manager of the Bermuda Creamery, told yesterday that the milk was removed temporarily due to Thursday?s power outage.

He said the Creamery was working to setting up its own lab to conduct the required testing independently.

Mr. Ferguson said sales of the milk were going well and the product had been well-received despite the disruption in supply. Three varieties of the milk are currently sold in plastic containers of filled, skimmed, or two percent in the pint, half gallon and gallon sizes.

?We have no real numbers but it is meeting our expectations and our target market,? he said.

Michael Dunkley, chief executive of rival Dunkley?s Dairy, said Government should have warned consumers about the bacteria content after pulling the product, pointing out that not warning unsuspecting shoppers could have serious drawbacks for Government.

Mr. Dunkley, who wished to point out that his dairy and the Creamery were not affiliated, said the milk at his dairy was tested regularly and had adhered to the required health standards for bacteria and fat levels.

?Government must make sure every measure is taken to produce a quality product which is checked properly.?