Dairy and Beef Products Cleared of Flu Virus After Additional Testing

Recent testing conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) confirms that there are no further traces of the bird flu in milk or ground beef products. The FDA performed extensive tests alongside the USDA, analyzing nearly 300 retail dairy samples, and found no evidence of any live, infectious virus.

The FDA stated, “In addition to preliminary results released late last week on an initial set of 96 retail milk samples, these results reaffirm our assessment that the commercial milk supply is safe.” Further testing was also conducted on samples of retail powdered infant formula and powdered milk products for toddlers, with all tests returning negative results.

Ongoing tests are being carried out on pooled raw milk designated for pasteurization and processing for commercial use. The USDA has also taken 30 samples of ground beef from retail outlets in states where dairy cattle herds tested positive for the bird flu. These samples were sent to the National Veterinary Services Laboratories for additional testing, and all results have been negative for the virus.

Moreover, muscle samples from slaughter facilities of culled dairy cattle, which have been condemned for systemic pathologies, will continue to be analyzed. A study is also underway to assess the effectiveness of cooking ground beef by using a virus surrogate to determine the log-reduction of the virus at various cooking temperatures.