Raw milk produced and packaged by Valley Milk Simply Bottled of Stanislaus County, CA, is the subject of a statewide recall and quarantine order by the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
The recall order came following the detection of the Influenza-A H5N1, also known as bird flu, virus in samples taken from a raw milk bulk tank at the Valley Milk Simply Bottled dairy farm.
The order applies to all “Valley Milk Simply Bottled Raw Cow Milk” and “DESI Milk Raw Cow Milk” distributed in quart, half-gallon, and one-gallon plastic jugs with a code date marked on the container of DEC 23 2024 through DEC 30 2024.
Any consumers with the recalled milk in their homes are urged to not drink the unpasteurized, raw milk. Retailers have been ordered to pull it from their shelves.
The quarantine order will remain in place at the dairy until state officials are satisfied that the company’s raw milk is not contaminated.
This is the second California company to be ordered to recall raw milk because of the presence of bird flu. In late November and early December, Raw Farm LLC was ordered to cease sales and recall raw milk from two batches because testing showed contamination with bird flu.
State officials are investigating an illnesses in a child known to have consumed raw milk, but it is not yet clear if bird flu is the cause of the symptoms.
“Drinking raw milk containing bird flu virus may lead to infection with this rare, emerging flu virus. Symptoms of bird flu infection in humans include eye redness or discharge, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, diarrhea, vomiting, muscle or body aches, headaches, fatigue, trouble breathing and fever,” according to the state food and agriculture department.
Federal law prohibits the sale of unpasteurized, raw milk — also referred to as “fresh” milk by some — across state lines. However, some states allow it to be sold on farms and at grocery stores.
Public health experts have long warned people against consuming raw milk or raw milk products because of elevated risks of foodborne illness. Because of this elevated risk, all raw milk products sold in California must be marked with a warning label that states the product may contain harmful pathogens. Outbreaks from Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, toxin producing E. coli, Brucella, Campylobacter, and many other bacteria have all been reported related to consuming raw dairy products.
Local, state and federal public health officials say pasteurized milk is safe to drink because the pasteurization process kills bacteria and viruses, including bird flu.
“Pasteurization, one of the most significant scientific food safety discoveries in human history, is the process of heating milk to specific temperatures for a certain length of time to kill many microorganisms and enzymes that lead to spoilage and illness,” according to the California Department of Public Health.
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