California state health officials said the bird flu virus was detected in a batch of raw milk sold at retail stores across the state, prompting a voluntary recall, as authorities once again warned about the risks of consuming unpasteurized milk—a practice some social media influencers and right-wing figures, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., have promoted.
A bottle of raw milk from Raw Farm is displayed for sale at a store in Temecula, California.
The California Department of Public Health said the virus was detected in a batch of cream top, whole raw milk sold by Fresno-based dairy farm, Raw Farm—which has issued a voluntary recall at the state’s request.
The virus was detected in samples tested by the Santa Clara Public Health Laboratory, which collects and tests raw milk from retail shelves as a “second line of consumer protection,” the statement said.
No illnesses linked to the affected raw milk lot have been reported so far.
The agency urged people not to consume any of the affected milk and return any remaining product, while retailers have been informed to remove the affected batch from shelves.
The California Department of Food and Agriculture—which has conducted weekly tests of raw milk in bulk tanks after bird flu was detected in dairy cattle in the state—will now “begin testing for bird flu twice per week” at Raw Farm’s locations, the agency said.
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In its notice, the state health department highlighted the risks associated with consuming raw milk—which is milk that has not been pasteurized to kill bacteria and viruses. The agency said outbreaks of “Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, toxin-producing E. coli, Brucella, Campylobacter and many other bacteria,” have been linked to the consumption of raw dairy products. The agency noted that pasteurized milk and milk products are safe to consume. Pasteurization is a simple process of “heating milk to a high enough temperature for a certain length of time” to kill any dangerous pathogens.