Sprouts Farmers Market Takes Active Role in California Raw Milk Recall

Sprouts Farmers Market is among the grocers involved in a raw milk product warning recently issued by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. This warning follows a voluntary recall of Raw Farm LLC’s raw milk and cream products after multiple detections of the H5 bird flu virus in the company’s milk and dairy cows.

The recall impacts not only Raw Farm LLC’s milk and cream but also its raw milk-based products such as cheese, kefir, and pet food toppers, which have been sold in various stores across California, including Sprouts Farmers Market. In light of this, both the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and the California Department of Public Health have advised consumers to avoid consuming these recalled products. State public health officials also noted that the bird flu virus had been identified in retail products from Raw Farm, and additional testing by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) confirmed the presence of the virus in bulk milk storage and bottled products at Raw Farm’s bottling facility.

As part of the recall, the CDFA has placed the Raw Farm facility under quarantine, halting the distribution of any raw milk, cream, kefir, butter, and cheese products produced after November 27. Raw Farm products are sold at 32 Sprouts Farmers Markets in California, along with other retailers such as Erewhon Market, Bristol Farms, and Eataly.

In the midst of the recall, Mark McAfee, CEO of Raw Farm, has also expressed interest in taking a role at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Encouraged by a transition team for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., McAfee has applied for the position of “FDA advisor on raw milk policy and standards development.”

Raw milk has been a controversial topic, with ongoing debates surrounding its safety and regulation. Despite the risks, some states, like Texas, have seen calls to allow raw milk sales in grocery stores. However, the CDC has documented over 200 illness outbreaks from raw milk between 1998 and 2018, resulting in over 2,600 affected individuals and more than 225 hospitalizations.