California health officials issued a recall of Organic Pastures raw dairy products on Thursday, because several children who fell ill after drinking raw milk tested positive for E. coli. However, the company said Saturday that tests have come back negative for the bacteria.

Two children tested positive for the infection after drinking the milk. Two other children reportedly also became ill after consuming Organic Pastures raw milk. The children are residents of San Bernardino, Riverside and San Diego counties.

Dr. Richard Breitmeyer, state veterinarian, issued the recall of all whole and skim raw milk, as well as all raw cream, butter and buttermilk, from the dairy company. The products were to be placed under quarantine.

State health officials reportedly tested the milk at the company site in Fresno but found no evidence of E. coli contamination there.

Organic Pastures products are sold in supermarkets throughout California and on the Internet.

Raw milk is milk that has not been subjected to the pasteurization or homogenization processes. It tastes different from treated milk, and the body digests it differently. Whether it is healthier than processed milk is the subject of much debate.

Most milk available on store shelves has been pasteurized. Heat is used to destroy disease-causing microorganisms that can be especially dangerous to infants, the elderly, pregnant women, and people with compromised immune systems.

However, advocates of raw milk argue that the process also kills beneficial microorganisms that aid in digestion. They maintain that raw milk is actually more nutritious than processed milk and claim that calves fed pasteurized milk often die before they reach maturity.