Although raw milk consumption is an elusive figure, it is widely accepted that it is both more popular and riskier today than at any time in recent decades.
It’s not just the usual threats like E. coli 0157:H7 and campylobacter, but the new threat of the H5N1 bird flu virus. About 99 percent of the H5N1 threat can be controlled by pasteurization, but this would mean that raw milk, also called ‘fresh’ milk, would no longer be raw milk.
State and local health officials find H5N1 in raw milk. Late last week, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) announced a recall of raw milk from Valley Milk Simply Bottled in Stanislaus County after finding bird flu in test samples of bulk milk.
Raw milk producer Stanislaus County is located in California’s Central Valley, which has been hit hard by H5N1 outbreaks in dairy cows since August.
And in late November and early December, the raw milk recalls involved the nearby Raw Farm, where the product had been retailed.
The CDFA said the recall order for Valley Milk includes quart, half-gallon and gallon plastic jugs with date codes ranging from Dec. 23 to Dec. 30.
Raw milk has yet to be named as a cause of human bird flu, but the virus is considered a pathogen.
California is the largest state where raw milk is legally sold in stores. However, many states now allow direct-to-consumer sales, usually at the farm or at other locations such as Farmer’s Markets.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is seeking Senate confirmation as the next Secretary of Health and Human Services, is said to be a proponent of raw milk.
USDA is collecting more data by testing more milk production for H5N1. Since March this year, more than 700 dairy farms have tested positive for bird flu. However, the tests do not cover farms that sell their milk raw.
It is said that drinking raw milk is on the rise. Mark McAfee, owner of Raw Farm USA in Fresno, says production and supply in California are “growing 50 percent per year.”
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