The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday said it detected fragments of the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza virus in samples of pasteurized milk but said the commercial milk supply is still safe to drink.
Although seemingly good news for consumers, the discovery raises questions about how milk from infected dairy cows entered the food supply chain, because milk from sick cows was being destroyed, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
The FDA said testing found pasteurization has inactivated the virus, and that findings “do not represent actual virus that may be a risk to consumers.” FDA added, “To date, we have seen nothing that would change our assessment that the commercial milk supply is safe.”
As of April 24, USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories has confirmed 33 dairy herds in eight states have been infected.
