California health officials said late Tuesday they secured a "broad recall" of raw milk and raw cream, pulling those made by producer Raw Farm off shelves after testing turned up positive for bird flu.
Fresno-based Raw Farm, one of America's biggest producers of unpasteurized dairy products, is now under quarantine, suspending any new distribution of its raw milk, cream, kefir, butter and cheese products produced on or after Nov. 27, the California Department of Public Health said.
The action follows two voluntary recalls by Raw Farm after bird flu was detected in milk sold at retailers.
A Raw Farm spokesperson told ConsumerAffairs that raw milk is safe to drink and has health benefits that pasteurized milk doesn't have.
No illnesses have been reported and there is no historical record of anyone gettting sick with bird flu after drinking raw milk.
The sale of raw milk is legal in California and all 50 states, but has more restrictions than typical milk because it can contain pathogens that aren't eliminated through pateurization, which heats up milk to kill germs but also kills bacteria that raw milk advocates say promote health.
What are the product details of the recalled raw milk and raw cream?
- Product name: Raw Farm
- Lot number: 20241109 through 20241127
- Production date: Nov. 9 to Nov. 27
Where was the raw milk with bird flu sold?
Raw Farm's milk sold in cities including Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego and Oakland, the CDPH said.
The CDPH provides lists of where recalled products were sold on its website.
The County of Santa Clara Public Health Laboratory first detected the bird flu in the milk at a retail location, the CDPH said Nov. 25.
On Nov. 26, the CDPH said further testing by Santa Clara County inspectors found bird flu in a second sample of Raw Farm's raw milk at a retail location.
What to do
California officials said the public should avoid drinking raw milk and related raw dairy products since they can contain bird flu and other harmful germs.
Pasteurization, or the heating of milk, kills harmful contamination that can be in raw dairy products, the CDPH said.
In response, Raw Farm told ConsumerAffairs that there is no evidence of people getting bird flu after drinking raw milk.
The CDPH didn't provide any historical examples of people getting infected with bird flu after ingesting unpasteurized dairy products.
What are the health risks of bird flu?
Since early October, there have been 29 cases of the bird flu in California, but 28 were among people with direct contact with dairy cows, the CDPH said.
To date, no person-to-person spread of bird flu has been detected in California or the U.S., the CPDH said.
All cases have reported mild symptoms, such as eye infections, and nobody has been hospitalized, the CPDH said.
The CPDH said on Dec. 3 that a child had contracted bird flu without known contact with a farm animal, but just had mild respiratory symptoms.
Still, the CDPH said "bird flu viruses can change and gain the ability to spread more easily between people."
How was the bird flu found?
Santa Clara County inspectors detected bird flu in the raw milk after testing raw milk at retail locations, which was later confirmed by state officials.
Californian health officials have stepped up their testing of raw milk to weekly testing of bulk tanks in response to a recent outbreak of bird flu in dairy herds, the CPDH said.
The California Department of Food and Agriculture followed up with Raw Farm for immediate sampling and additional testing after the last two detections of bird flu, the CDPH said.
Now, Raw Farm is under quarantine and can't sell its raw milk or other unpasteurized dairy products.
How many any illnesses from the raw milk?
The CDPH said there have been no reported illnesses from the raw milk or raw dairy products as of Dec. 3.