Bird flu virus was found in raw milk. What to know about the risks
The detection of bird flu virus this week in a batch of unpasteurized milk sold in California underscores what health experts say are the known and potential risks of the products
President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for the nation's top health job, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has vowed to allow wider distribution of raw milk across America. But the detection of bird flu virus in unpasteurized milk sold in California stores underscores what health experts say are the known and potential risks.
“You have to assume that raw milk, unpasteurized milk, has 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 investigated foodborne illness outbreaks.
Raw Farm LLC, of Fresno, California, voluntarily recalled one lot 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 has been testing raw milk sold in stores as “a second line of consumer protection.”
No illnesses have been traced to Raw Farm products, which have a lot code of 20241109 and a best-by date of Nov. 27. But officials with California's health department warned consumers not to drink the milk and said retailers should remove 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.
