FDA To Start Testing Common Food Item For Bird Flu

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will begin testing aged raw cow’s milk cheese samples for bird flu.

Yes, really.

The agency will PCR test food for bird flu, reports stated.

“The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has begun a domestic sampling assignment to collect and test aged raw cow’s milk cheese for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N1),” the agency announced.

The objectives of testing cheese include:

• “To determine whether viable H5N1 virus is present in the cheese.”
• “To take follow-up action(s) as needed to address contaminated product and protect consumers.”

FDA Begins Testing Cheese for Bird Flu https://t.co/6yvCY8jGEk

— TrialSite News (@TrialsiteN) January 2, 2025

Per Food Safety News:

An outbreak of H5N1 in multiple states precipitated this assignment. The FDA is working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state partners to investigate and respond to the outbreak, which is impacting poultry, dairy cows, and people in the United States. The FDA’s sampling assignment complements research efforts that the agency is carrying out with its federal and state partners, as well as select research universities. Unlike the research efforts, the FDA’s sampling assignment is a regulatory activity.

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Raw milk cheese is made with unpasteurized milk. In the United States cheese allowed to be made from raw milk must be aged for a minimum of 60 days to mitigate the risk from any pathogens, if present.

The FDA will collect 300 samples of raw cow’s milk cheese that has been aged for at least 60 days, along with the label information. Each sample will consist of two packages of product, weighing at least 100 grams.

The FDA has begun testing cheese for bird flu as human cases of the virus continue to rise in the United Stateshttps://t.co/PQw4jSPWpw

— Newsweek (@Newsweek) December 31, 2024

ABC News reports:

Samples will be tested with a PCR test, which looks for genetic material from the virus, and will be completed within one week of collection, according to the FDA. Samples that indicate the presence of the virus will undergo viability testing.

Viability testing will be done by injecting part of the virus into an embryonated egg and analyzing if it grows or multiplies.

Raw milk cheese is made with unpasteurized milk. In the U.S., cheese can be made from raw milk but must be aged a minimum of 60 days to lessen the risk of any pathogens that may be present, per the FDA.

Samples that test positive for viable virus will be “evaluated on a case-by-case basis,” the FDA said, and the agency may issue actions “such as a recall, follow-up inspection or other possible responses to protect public health.”

The announcement follows California Gov. Gavin Newsom declaring a state of emergency due to the “spread of Bird Flu in dairy cows.”

“On December 12, 2024, dairy cows at four Southern California dairies tested positive for Bird Flu, necessitating a shift from regional containment to statewide monitoring and response to active cases,” an emergency proclamation read.

BREAKING: California Governor Gavin Newsom declares state of emergency due to H5N1 bird flu pic.twitter.com/UYgiLHPscP

— BNO News (@BNOFeed) December 18, 2024

A closer look:

The emergency proclamation followed public health officials declaring the first “severe case of H5N1 Bird Flu in the U.S.”

“CDC confirms first severe case of H5N1 Bird Flu in the U.S. While an investigation into the source of the infection is ongoing, it has been determined that the patient had exposure to sick and dead birds in backyard flocks,” the CDC stated.

“No person-to-person spread of H5 bird flu has been detected. This case does not change CDC’s overall assessment of the immediate risk to the public’s health from H5N1 bird flu, which remains low,” it added.

CDC confirms first severe case of H5N1 Bird Flu in the U.S. While an investigation into the source of the infection is ongoing, it has been determined that the patient had exposure to sick and dead birds in backyard flocks.

No person-to-person spread of H5 bird flu has been… pic.twitter.com/0jgHKkjQpx

— CDC (@CDCgov) December 18, 2024

Read the full FDA announcement HERE.

This is a Guest Post from our friends over at 100 Percent Fed Up.

View the original article here.