More testing underway after another California raw milk recall due to bird flu virus

By Lex Harvey and Sam Tupper, CNN

(CNN) — California health officials are warning not to drink another lot of raw milk from Fresno-based Raw Farm after it tested positive for bird flu virus. More testing of Raw Farm products is underway, the state said.

“As the state continues to investigate the link between bird flu detections in retail raw milk and the ongoing spread of bird flu in dairy cows, poultry, and sporadic human cases, consumers are strongly urged to not consume any of the affected raw milk,” the California Department of Public Health said in a statement on Wednesday.

“Customers should immediately return any remaining product to the retail point of purchase.”

At the state’s request, Raw Farm issued a voluntary recall for the affected milk lot code number 20241119, with best before date of 12/07/2024. Earlier this week, Raw Farm recalled quart and half-gallon sizes of raw milk with the lot ID of 20241109 and a best-by date of November 27.

No human bird flu cases linked to the milk have been reported.

The Santa Clara County Public Health Laboratory was testing raw milk products from retail stores in the county when it identified the virus, one week after it was found in another batch of Raw Farm’s raw milk.

Pasteurized milk goes through a heating process that kills harmful bacteria. Raw milk is not pasteurized and can carry disease-causing pathogens such as listeria, campylobacter, salmonella and E. coli. Public health officials have long warned against drinking raw milk due to risk of illness; past outbreaks linked to consumption or raw milk or raw milk products involved miscarriages, still births, kidney failure and deaths. According to the US Food and Drug Administration, there’s no scientific evidence that raw milk helps with illnesses or allergies and it’s not allowed to be sold between states.

CNN reached out to Raw Farm for comment about the new recall. In a November 24 news release, Raw Farm said its products are “rigorously tested for quality” and all “results performed by RAW FARM and all of the official tests by CDFA (the California State agency that regulates and tests Raw Farm products) have been NEGATIVE.”

California’s health agency said in its news release on Wednesday that the California Department of Food and Agriculture, known as CDFA, collected additional samples of store bulk tank milk and bottled products from Raw Farm on Wednesday, after bird flu was detected in two lots. “Results from that additional testing are pending,” the release said.

As bird flu has spread among poultry and cattle in the US this year, raw milk has seen a new wave of interest. It also has some high-profile supporters, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to lead the US Department of Health and Human Services, who has said he drinks it.

In June, the FDA urged states to warn the public more strongly about the dangers of raw milk and to use their regulatory authorities to stop the sale of raw milk in areas where dairy herds have tested positive for H5N1.

Bird flu has continued to spread in wild birds, poultry and dairy cattle since spring. There’s no evidence of person-to-person spread but scientists worry the virus can mutate to spread more easily among people.

Dr. David Kessler, a former FDA commissioner and chief of Operation Warp Speed, wrote this week in a New York Times opinion piece that milk should be bulk tested in states with dairy farms “to determine the full extent of the infection on these farms and to allow us to contain the virus.”

“Without mandatory testing, bird flu will continue circulating at farms across the country, which substantially increases the risk that the virus mutates and evolves to allow a human-to-human transmission that will be hard to stop,” Kessler wrote.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recorded 55 human cases of bird flu in 2024, including 29 in California. Most are linked to farm workers who have been in contact with sick animals. Last week, the CDC announced the first US case of bird flu identified in a child in California; an investigation into how the child was exposed is underway.

Bird flu symptoms in humans include typical flu-like symptoms such as eye redness, sore throat, runny nose, cough, diarrhea, vomiting, body aches, fatigue, trouble swallowing or fever. Anyone who has consumed the raw milk product and notices symptoms should alert their health care provider or local health department immediately, California’s health department said.

CNN’s Jamie Gumbrecht contributed to this report.

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