President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for the nation’s top health care job, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has pledged to allow for broader distribution of raw milk across America. But the detection of the bird flu virus in unpasteurized milk sold in California stores underscores what health experts say are the known and potential risks.
“You should assume that raw milk, unpasteurized milk, contains potential infectious agents that can cause serious illness in the people who drink it,” said Michael Osterholm, a University of Minnesota infectious disease researcher who has documented outbreaks of foodborne illness. investigated.
Raw Farm LLC, of Fresno, California, has voluntarily recalled a batch of “cream top” whole raw milk after Santa Clara County health officials found the bird flu virus in a sample last week. State health officials said the county tested raw milk sold in stores as “a second line of consumer protection.”
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No diseases have been traced to Raw Farm products, which have the lot code 20241109 and a best before date of November 27. But California health department officials warned consumers not to drink the milk and told retailers to pull it from their shelves. . On Tuesday, Los Angeles County health officials warned that “many retailers” there may have sold recalled raw milk contaminated with the virus.
Here’s what else you need to know about raw milk and bird flu:
What do we know about the bird flu virus and milk?
It’s no surprise that the virus was found in raw milk sold in stores, Osterholm said.
Bird flu, also known as type A H5N1 flu, was first confirmed in U.S. dairy cattle in March and has spread widely. In California, more than 435 dairy herds have seen infections – more than all other US states combined. And high concentrations of the virus have been found in the milk of infected cows.
Tests conducted by government scientists earlier this year found that about 20% of pasteurized milk samples sold in stores contained viral remnants of the virus. Pasteurization, or heat treatment, kills the bird flu virus as well as bacteria such as E. coli, listeria and salmonella, which are known to make people sick.
California Department of Food and Agriculture officials have been conducting weekly tests on raw milk in bulk tanks at the state’s dairies. Additional tests conducted at Raw Farm locations in California came back negative for the virus, but officials said they would begin testing for bird flu twice a week.
Little testing has been done on unpasteurized milk products from stores, so it is possible that other raw dairy products contain the virus, Osterholm said.
“It is still very unclear how many tests are taking place,” says Osterholm. “We’re flying blind.”
Can bird flu in raw milk make people sick?
To date, there is no evidence that humans have become infected with the bird flu virus from drinking raw milk. At least 55 people in the US are known to have been infected with the virus this year, but almost all were dairy or poultry workers who developed mild illness after close contact with infected animals.
Tests have shown that mice fed raw milk contaminated with bird flu became very ill and that cats on farms that drank milk from infected cows suffered brain damage and died, noted Nicole Martin, a microbiologist and deputy director of the Milk Quality Institute. Improvement Program at Cornell University. ,
“I don’t think we know yet whether people can contract H5N1 from consuming raw milk, but we have plenty of evidence to suggest that people should be a little more careful at this point,” Martin said.
Who drinks raw milk and why?
Nearly 4.4% of American adults, or about 11 million people, report drinking raw milk at least once a year. According to a 2022 FDA survey, about 1% of adults say they consume raw milk every week.
Advocates of raw milk cite perceived health benefits and better taste as top reasons for consumption. Raw Farm advertises its products as ‘raw and complete’ with vitamins, minerals, enzymes and beneficial bacteria.
Fans include Kennedy, who has said he only drinks raw milk. Kennedy has criticized agriculture departments for their crackdown on raw milk and promised that the Food and Drug Administration’s “aggressive crackdown” on unpasteurized milk would end under Trump.
Mark McAfee, owner of Raw Farm, has appeared several times on podcasts by Nicole Shanahan, Kennedy’s former running mate. Both Kennedy and Shanahan are clients, McAfee told the Associated Press.
“They want the same level of distinctive, beautiful, tested, beautiful, safe and delicious raw milk for everyone,” McAfee said.
What do health experts say about raw milk?
Health officials have warned for years that raw milk can cause illnesses ranging from mild to life-threatening. Between 1998 and 2018, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention documented more than 200 disease outbreaks traced to raw milk, which sickened more than 2,600 people and hospitalized more than 225.
Before the U.S. adopted safety standards in 1924 under the so-called Pasteurized Milk Ordinance, about 25% of foodborne illnesses were linked to dairy consumption, according to the Center for Dairy Research. Now dairy products are responsible for about 1% of these diseases.
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
