California suspends company’s sale of raw milk after new outbreak of bird flu

RFK Jr., a proponent of raw milk, could soon lead the Department of Health and Human Services

Raw milk pictured on sale in Temecula, California. A raw milk producer in California can no longer distribute its products after its animals tested positive for the bird flu (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

California state officials have suspended a company’s sales of raw milk to retailers amid ongoing concerns about bird flu.

Raw milk sales by Raw Farm, located in Fresno, was blocked from distributing its raw dairy products as of Thursday, the Los Angeles Times reported. However, their products already on shelves can still be sold, according to the newspaper.

The Independent has contacted Raw Farm for comment.

On Sunday the state’s Department of Public Health warned residents against drinking the batch of cream top, whole raw milk from Fresno County’s Raw Farm LLC and advised consumers to return the product to where it was purchased. Raw Farm LLC has issued a voluntary recall of the affected lot code 20241109.

A Raw Farm batch bottled on November 9 was also recalled, the Times reported.

The sales suspension comes amid contradictory bird flu test results this month. County public health officials were finding bird flu in raw milk bought at stores, while state officials weren’t finding the virus in bulk tests, the Times reports. A new round of tests on Raw Farm products turned up positive Wednesday, and officials suspended sales.

Raw Farm owner Mark McAfee told the Times that his cows are indeed infected with the H5N1 bird flu virus. He said he wasn’t aware of it until this week, however, because the cows are “so healthy that they don’t show the classic signs or symptoms.”

The Fresno County-based Raw Farm issued a voluntary recall of a batch of raw milk this month (California Department of Public Health)

The sales suspension comes as human cases of dangerous H5N1 bird flu have risen across the country.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there were 55 cases across seven states as of Friday. The majority of the cases are in California.

The agency reported the first avian influenza H5 virus infection in a child in the US last week. The child’s condition is still unclear.

The uptick in bird flu comes as Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, continues to tout the consumption of raw milk. Kennedy has pledged that what he characterized as the “aggressive suppression” of raw milk is about to end and revealed he drinks raw milk.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is a proponent of raw milk (AFP via Getty Images)

Scientists have warned in recent days that the virus may be more widespread than previously believed.

“We are in a soup of virus. I mean, there’s virus everywhere around us at this point,” Dr. Marcela Uhart, a wildlife veterinarian with the University of Cal-Davis’ One Health Institute,  said earlier this month. “This virus is circulating left and right in mammals and in birds, as far as we can tell, some of them are not showing any signs of disease.”

The virus is spread to humans via several pathways. Farm workers can inhale infected particles, pick up germs from sick animals and other surfaces and then touch their faces and eyes. Consumers can also get it by drinking raw cow’s milk.

Those who have had no contact with infected poultry or other sources of contamination are likely at very low risk of infection. No infections have been reported from eating properly cooked poultry or poultry products or proper handling of poultry meat.

With reporting from Julia Musto