Table of Contents
BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 25: Containers of raw farm milk are displayed on a shelf … [+]
US officials have stepped up testing of raw milk as the outbreak of bird flu (H5N1) spreads among the country’s livestock.
The Ministry of Agriculture will test raw milk samples from across the country after issuing a federal order on Friday. Dairy farms will have to provide samples upon request.
The move will help public health officials monitor the spread of the disease, which has spread widely among livestock since it was first detected in U.S. cows in March. It is also intended to protect farm workers who may be exposed to the disease through animals in their care.
FDA testing has shown harmless, dead traces of the virus in pasteurized milk since April. But raw milk that has not yet gone through this process – and in some cases never will – can harbor live bird flu.
None of the 58 human cases discovered so far in the US have been linked to raw milk. Nearly all cases have been traced to exposure to poultry and livestock.
But two lots of raw whole milk and cream products infected with the bird flu virus were recalled last month in California – the state hardest hit by the livestock outbreak.
So far, bird flu has mainly caused mild symptoms in humans. But some people in other countries have been hospitalized with serious illness. The virus cannot currently spread from person to person.
What is raw milk?
Simply put, raw milk is not pasteurized – a process of partial sterilization that kills or deactivates most bacteria and viruses.
Most milk in the US will go through this process before being sold to consumers. But some are sold in raw form.
Proponents say the raw product tastes better and has more nutritional benefits than pasteurized milk. But there is little scientific evidence to show that there are any major benefits to drinking raw milk.
Claims that the product can promote health by, for example, improving the immune system or preventing chronic allergies or asthma are not supported by research, said John Lucey, director of the University of Wisconsin’s Center for Dairy Research and a professor of nutritional sciences. USA today.
“You are being scammed with these claims,” he said. “This is snake oil.”
In contrast, the risks of drinking raw milk are widely documented.
Dangerous pathogens can thrive in untreated milk and milk products. Bacteria love salmonella, E.coli And listeria monocytogenes can all persist in milk that has not been pasteurized, as can the viruses that cause diseases such as tuberculosis, diphtheria and scarlet fever.
Between 2013 and 2019 raw milk was responsible for 75 outbreaks of foodborne illness in the US, affecting 675 people, half of whom were newborn to age 19.
What is pasteurization?
Pasteurized milk has been heated to kill or deactivate dangerous microorganisms. Juice, wine, beer and other products are also often pasteurized for the same reason.
Specific pasteurization techniques vary, but the high temperature, short time standard used by the U.S. dairy industry is very effective at stopping the bird flu virus. This involves heating the milk to at least 161 degrees Fahrenheit (71 degrees Celsius) for 15 seconds.
Pasteurization itself was named after microbiologist Louis Pasteur in 1864, who developed a method for partially sterilizing wine.
Before World War II, milk caused about a quarter of foodborne illnesses in the US. Pasteurization, which virtually eliminated this risk, is widely considered one of the most effective food safety interventions of all time.
Can raw milk cause bird flu?
The effects of drinking raw milk contaminated with bird flu are still uncertain. But experts warn that drinking raw milk simply isn’t worth the risk. Unpasteurized milk has caused many other dangerous diseases in the past, including bovine tuberculosis and typhoid fever.
The FDA has warned consumers not to drink raw milk because it may be contaminated with bird flu. It is illegal in some states and cannot be sold across state lines.
Experts like Kerry E. Kaylegianassociate professor of food sciences at Penn State, supports the FDA’s position.
“With medical researchers still learning how H5N1 is transmitted, I agree with the FDA that raw milk poses risks that are not worth the risk,” she wrote in an article for The conversation.