Although raw milk consumption is an elusive figure, it is generally accepted that raw milk consumption is more popular today than at any time in recent decades, and the risks are also higher.
It’s not just the usual threats like E. coli 0157:H7 and Campylobacter, but also the new threat of the H5N1 avian influenza virus. About 99 percent of the H5N1 threat can be controlled by pasteurization, which means that raw milk, sometimes called “raw milk,” is no longer raw milk.
State and local health officials have detected the H5N1 virus in raw milk. Late last week, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) announced a recall of Stanislaus County Valley Milk Simply bottles of raw milk after avian influenza was detected in bulk milk test samples.
Stanislaus County’s milk producers, located in California’s Central Valley, have been hit hard by an H5N1 outbreak in dairy cows since August.
Then, in late November and early December, a raw milk recall occurred at a nearby raw milk farm, where the product was reaching retail.
The Valley Milk recall order includes quart, half-gallon and gallon plastic jugs with date codes from Dec. 23 to Dec. 30, according to CDFA.
Although raw milk has not been cited as a cause of avian influenza in humans, the virus is thought to be the pathogen.
California is the largest state where raw milk is legally sold in retail stores. However, many states now allow direct-to-consumer sales, many of which take place at farms and other venues such as farmers’ markets.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is seeking Senate confirmation as the next Secretary of Health and Human Services, is reportedly a raw milk advocate.
USDA is collecting more data by further testing milk production for H5N1. Since March this year, more than 700 dairy herds have tested positive for avian influenza. However, this inspection does not cover farms that sell raw milk.
It is said that the number of people drinking raw milk is increasing. Mark McAfee, who owns Law Farm USA in Fresno, was quoted as saying that production and supply in California is “growing at 50 percent a year.”
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