by Lisa M. Krieger

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Worried that a drink of infected raw milk could cause the H5N1 bird flu virus to jump to people, state health officials have ordered that all raw milk and cream from a Fresno-based dairy farm be pulled from store shelves.

Consumers should return any purchased milk to the store where it was bought, they add.

"Californians are strongly encouraged not to consume any raw milk or cream products in their possession or still on store shelves," the California Department of Public Health said in a statement released Monday night. Milk that is pasteurized, which kills the virus and other pathogens, remains safe to drink.

Milk products from Raw Farm, the state's leading raw milk producer, tested positive for bird flu at both retail and dairy storage and bottling sites in recent days, officials said.

This is a broader recall than what was announced last week, following the discovery of contaminated Raw Farm product at Santa Clara County retail stores from two specific lots of milk. The Santa Clara County Department of Public Health said it was unable to authorize the release of the names of the stores.

As the disease investigation continues, Raw Farm is cooperating fully with CDPH and the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

But Raw Food CEO Mark McAfee—who said he has been asked to apply for a U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory position in the incoming Trump administration called the recall and quarantine "a political issue. There are no food safety issues with our products," he wrote on the company's website.

"We are working towards resolving this political issue while being cooperative with our government regulatory agencies," he wrote. "Our family business has faced many political challenges before and we are resilient."

No one has been sickened by avian flu after drinking raw milk products from this dairy.

But it's known that exposure to infected raw milk can cause illness. As the virus has swept through the state's dairy industry, infecting 493 of the state's 1,100 operators, an estimated 30 California dairy farm workers have become sick.

"Drinking or accidentally inhaling raw milk containing bird flu virus may lead to illness," according to CDPH. "In addition, touching your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands after touching raw milk with bird flu virus may also lead to infection."

Research published in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that the virus can remain infectious in raw milk for at least several weeks when kept refrigerated at 39 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cats consuming infected raw milk from the farms "bulk tanks" have become infected and died, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Subsequent autopsies have revealed severe systemic virus infection in these animals, affecting organs such as the brain and eyes, according to Michael Payne of the Western Institute for Food Safety and Security at UC Davis.

The virus spreads through aerosol particles and contaminated milking equipment. While most affected animals recover with supportive treatment, an estimated 10% to 15% of cows die, according to Western United Dairies CEO Anja Raudabaugh. Many never return to their prior productivity.

Currently, the virus only targets the cells of animals. But it's just a mutation or two away from being able to target the cells of people, virologists say. As it spreads, there's a greater chance that a mutation will emerge.

The virus seems to target the cells of a cow's udder. This may explain why younger cows and beef cattle have been unaffected.

Following the CDPH investigation, Raw Farm is quarantined for more than two months, meaning that it is not allowed to move any cattle off the property or sell any brand of its raw milk products.

McAfee is allowed to sell milk from his 1,800-cow dairy to a processor who will pasteurize it and use it in different products, including milk or cheese.

According to CDFA rules, if there are no more sick cows within 60 days, it will begin testing the milk again. Before its milk can be released, the dairy must test negative in three tests, with seven days between tests.

Raw milk is considered so unsafe that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration prohibits interstate sales.

But individual states still control raw milk sales within their borders—and California is one of 12 states that allow its purchase in retail stores.

Raw Farm has been linked to a plethora of other outbreaks of pathogens unrelated to the bird flu virus, including the bacteria Salmonella, E. coli and Campylobacter. According to recent litigation filed by Seattle-based attorney Bill Marler, victims of a Salmonella outbreak between September 2023 to March 2024 include at least six residents of Alameda County, five residents of Contra Costa County and five residents of Santa Clara County.

Rather than banning raw milk, California relies on advertising restrictions and warning labels to inform consumers of risk.

If the state or federal government finds that a food company is egregious in its safety or sanitation practices, said UC Davis's Payne, it could be forced to cease operations until it implements programs that prove it is in compliance.

Journal information: New England Journal of Medicine 

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