/>i- Last month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration released the findings of a groundbreaking study confirming that pasteurization is effective in killing the bird flu virus in milk and other dairy products. The study was conducted as part of ongoing efforts to ensure the safety of milk amid growing concerns about the expanding outbreak of H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI).
- The study simulated, for the first time, the exact time and temperature used in commercial milk pasteurization and demonstrated that conditions for pasteurization widely used by producers effectively inactivated the HPAI virus, even in raw milk samples that contained higher than usual concentrations of the virus. In all 297 samples of milk and dairy products collected for the study, HPAI was inactivated after pasteurization.
- Currently, federal law states that all milk and milk products in final package form intended for direct human consumption must be pasteurized, though there has been recent state action that would allow unpasteurized milk in the marketplace. As we previously reported, Michigan (HB 5603) and West Virginia (HB 4911) have proposed allowing the sale of unpasteurized, raw milk within their respective states. Delaware has also passed legislation (SB 273), since our last reporting, that would legalize the sale of unpasteurized, unprocessed milk directly from dairy producers to consumers.
FDA Study Confirms Pasteurization Kills Bird Flu Virus in Milk
Thursday, July 18, 2024
