Public health
Second recall order for a milk stock in California: how do I know if my milk is contaminated?
California officials have issued a recall and quarantine order for raw milk produced by Valley Milk Simply Bottled for potential bird flu contamination.
In the last 30 days, there have been 303 new cases of bird flu in cows in 2 states, California and Nevada according to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) of the US Department of Agriculture. The virus has already been detected in a sample of Raw Farm raw milk taken from a store in Fresno, California prompting the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) to issue a recall in November.
Now the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has issued a statewide recall and quarantine order after Influenza-A H5N1 (bird flu) virus was detected in samples from a bulk tank at the Valley Milk Simply Bottled dairy farm in Stanislaus County.
Raw milk recall in California: how do I know if my milk is contaminated?
The CDFA is strongly urging all consumers to not consume any product remaining in their refrigerators. Additionally, the agency is telling retailers to immediately pull the product from their shelves.
The recall order applies to all ‘Valley Milk Simply Bottled Raw Cow Milk’ and ‘DESI Milk Raw Cow Milk’ products including those distributed in quart (32 oz), half-gallon (64 oz), and one-gallon (128 oz) plastic jugs. The affected products are marked with a code date marked on the container of DEC 23 2024 through DEC 30 2024.
So far, no illnesses have been reported.
Is it safe to consume raw milk due to bird flu?
According to the CDC, there is concern that consumption of unpasteurized milk (raw milk) and products made with unpasteurized milk contaminated with the HPAI A(H5N1) virus may transmit the HPAI A(H5N1) virus to people; However, the risk of human infection is currently unknown.
What is raw milk?
Raw milk, unlike the vast majority of milk sold in stores, has not been pasteurized. Pasteurization is a process designed to kill harmful germs and viruses by heating dairy products to high temperatures.
The CDC warns that “consuming raw milk can lead to serious health risks, especially for certain vulnerable populations.” Outbreaks of Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, toxin-producing E. coli, Brucella, Campylobacter, and many other bacteria have been associated with raw milk.
How does bird flu affect humans?
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 60 cases of bird flu in humans have been reported so far in 2024.
Symptoms of bird flu in humans include eye redness, runny nose, cough, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, body aches, fatigue, difficulty swallowing, or fever.
Additionally, the most common ways to contract bird flu, according to the CDPH, include:
- Touching the eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands after contact with raw milk from an infected cow or other contaminated items or surfaces.
- Raw milk from an infected cow splashing into the eyes, nose, or mouth.
- Drinking raw milk from a cow infected with the bird flu virus.
If you experience any of these symptoms, the California Department of Public Health recommends contacting your health-care provider or local health department immediately.
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