Current:Home > MarketsThe USDA is testing raw milk for the avian flu. Is raw milk safe?-LoTradeCoin
The USDA is testing raw milk for the avian flu. Is raw milk safe?
View Date:2024-12-23 16:23:43
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently announced that it would begin bulk testing batches of raw milk across the country for the avian flu, which began rapidly spreading across cattle in California earlier this year.
In a press conference on May 1, the CDC, FDA and USDA revealed that recent testing on commercial dairy products detected remnants of the H5N1 bird flu virus in one in five samples. However, none contained the live virus that could sicken people and officials said testing reaffirmed that pasteurization kills the bird flu virus, making milk safe to consume.
A continued insistence on consuming raw dairy, which was already a growing trend and concern prior to the avian flu outbreak, led the CDC to issue additional warnings in May, saying "high levels of A(H5N1) virus have been found in unpasteurized (“raw”) milk" and advising that the CDC and FDA "recommend against the consumption of raw milk or raw milk products."
Raw milk is milk that has not gone through the pasteurization process, which is a key food safety step that applies heat in order to kill microorganisms that can cause disease, including H5N1, says Meghan Davis, DVM, MPH, PhD, an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
Diet and food safety experts say the potential risks and equal nutritional values between raw and pasteurized milk make choosing pasteurization a no-brainer. Here's what they want you to know about the safety issues that arise with raw milk.
Is raw milk safe?
Several leading health organizations — including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatricians — all warn against the consumption of raw milk, citing serious health issues that can put both the person consuming it as well as people around them at risk.
More:More than 100 people sickened by salmonella linked to raw milk from Fresno farm
That's right — by consuming raw milk, you can actually threaten the health and safety of those around you, even if they didn't consume the milk, Davis notes. And those with compromised immune systems, including "toddlers, children, pregnant women or the elderly" are especially susceptible to getting sick.
"It's shared by pro-raw milk drinkers that pasteurization makes cow’s milk less nutritious, but that isn’t true at all," registered dietitian Jamie Nadeau tells USA TODAY. "When you’re weighing the pros and cons, it just doesn’t make sense to choose raw milk."
The major con with raw milk: It contains harmful pathogens that can cause "serious, life-threatening diseases" including Guillain-Barré syndrome and hemolytic uremic syndrome, Nadeau notes. Even if you've had raw milk in the past walked away without getting sick, it's impossible to guarantee that you won't be as lucky the next time.
"Unfortunately there’s no way to guarantee raw milk is safe, even if you get it from a farm that you trust," Nadeau says. "You can get sick from raw milk that’s from the same brand and same source that you previously drank from. Regardless of how healthy the animals are or how well-maintained the farm is, you can still get sick."
Is raw milk actually healthier?
Some people believe that raw milk is healthier than pasteurized milk because it's "less processed." That's just not true, Nadeau says.
"The nutrition changes that happen after pasteurization is extremely minimal," she says. "Pasteurized milk is just as nutritious as raw milk, and it's much safer."
Seriously, don't drink the raw milk:Social media doubles down despite bird flu outbreak
If it's a less-processed milk that you're after, Davis recommends buying commercially pasteurized but non-homogenized milk, which is also known as cream top. "This has undergone the food safety step: temperature and pressure, but not the additional processing steps," she says.
There are also misconceptions that the bacteria content in raw milk is good for your gut, but those ideas are "far-fetched," Nadeau adds. She recommends foods like yogurt, kefir, kombucha or a probiotic supplement if you're trying to incorporate more gut-heathy items to your diet.
Contributing: Mary Walrath-Holdridge
veryGood! (418)
Related
- A wayward sea turtle wound up in the Netherlands. A rescue brought it thousands of miles back home
- Michigan court rejects challenges to Trump’s spot on 2024 primary ballot
- Nature Got a More Prominent Place at the Table at COP28
- Actor André Braugher's cause of death revealed
- Exclusive Yankee Candle Sale: 50% Off Holiday Candles for a Limited Time
- See Gigi Hadid, Zoë Kravitz and More Stars at Taylor Swift's Birthday Party
- Laura Dern Weighs In on Big Little Lies Season 3 After Nicole Kidman’s Announcement
- US agency concludes chemical leak that killed 6 Georgia poultry workers was `completely preventable’
- Justice Department sues to block UnitedHealth Group’s $3.3 billion purchase of Amedisys
- Two men charged after 'killing spree' of 3,600 birds, including bald eagles, prosecutors say
Ranking
- Shocked South Carolina woman walks into bathroom only to find python behind toilet
- Coca-Cola recalls 2,000 Diet Coke, Sprite, Fanta Orange soda packs
- Wisconsin corn mill agrees to pay $1.8 million in penalties after fatal 2017 explosion
- Elon Musk plans to launch a university in Austin, Texas
- Kelly Rowland and Nelly Reunite for Iconic Performance of Dilemma 2 Decades Later
- Trump loves the UFC. His campaign hopes viral videos of his appearances will help him pummel rivals
- Victims allege sex abuse in Maryland youth detention facilities under new law allowing them to sue
- Pennsylvania House back to a 101-101 partisan divide with the resignation of a Democratic lawmaker
Recommendation
-
Is the stock market open on Veterans Day? What to know ahead of the federal holiday
-
Tesla car recalls 2023: Check the full list of vehicle models recalled this year
-
Man acquitted of killing three in Minnesota is convicted in unrelated kidnapping, shooting
-
Live updates | As fighting rages in Gaza, a US envoy is set to meet with the Palestinian president
-
Hurricane-damaged Tropicana Field can be fixed for about $55M in time for 2026 season, per report
-
Officer shoots, kills 2 dogs attacking man at Ohio golf course, man also shot: Police
-
Inside OMAROSA and Jax Taylor's Unexpected Bond After House of Villains Eliminations
-
Asha traveled over 100 miles across state lines. Now, the endangered Mexican wolf has a mate.