Robert F. Kennedy Jr., nominated by the incoming administration to head the Department of Health and Human Services, continues to champion the consumption of raw milk. However, California health authorities have taken swift action after detecting bird flu contamination in a batch of raw milk from Fresno County’s Raw Farm LLC.
Although no illnesses have been reported, the California Department of Public Health issued a warning to residents to avoid drinking a specific batch of cream top, whole raw milk from the farm. Consumers have been advised to return the affected product, identified by lot code 20241109, to the point of purchase. Raw Farm LLC has voluntarily recalled the contaminated lot.
“No illnesses associated with this lot of raw milk have been reported,” stated the health department. “Out of an abundance of caution, and due to the ongoing spread of bird flu in dairy cows, poultry, and sporadic human cases, consumers should not consume any of the affected raw milk.”
The bird flu was detected by the County of Santa Clara Public Health Laboratory in a sample purchased from a retail outlet. In response, the California Department of Food and Agriculture has announced plans to increase its testing of bulk raw milk tanks for bird flu, conducting tests twice a week instead of the previous once.
Despite this, tests conducted at both of Raw Farm LLC’s locations showed negative results for the virus.
This development comes at a time when human cases of the dangerous H5N1 strain of bird flu have been rising across the country, particularly in California. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports 55 cases of H5N1 across seven states, with the first confirmed case of H5N1 infection in a child in the U.S. reported last week. The child is recovering, but the exact source of the infection remains unclear.
“The child reportedly experienced mild symptoms and was treated with flu antivirals. Initial tests showed low levels of the virus, and subsequent testing returned negative for H5N1 but positive for other common respiratory viruses,” the CDC said.
In Canada, a teenager infected with H5N1 remains in critical condition. Globally, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports a 54% fatality rate for H5N1 cases in the Western Pacific Region from January 2003 through September 2024, though no fatalities have been reported in the U.S. this year. Additionally, no hospitalizations have occurred among those infected in California. Authorities continue to assert that the risk to the general public remains low.
The connection between raw milk consumption and these infections remains unclear, though many of those affected have been dairy workers in California.
Public health experts have long warned about the risks of consuming raw milk, pointing to a range of potential foodborne illnesses, including E. coli, Salmonella, and Listeria. Unlike pasteurized milk, raw milk is not subjected to a heating process that kills harmful bacteria and viruses, including bird flu.
Since the 1890s, the U.S. has been pasteurizing milk, and in 1987, the FDA banned the interstate sale of raw milk. However, 30 states still allow the intrastate sale of raw milk, and fewer than 1% of Americans opt to consume it unpasteurized. Kennedy, a well-known advocate of raw milk, has criticized the “aggressive suppression” of its sale, pledging that such measures are nearing their end. “If you work for the FDA and are part of this corrupt system, I have two messages for you: 1. Preserve your records, and 2. Pack your bags,” he wrote on X last month. As head of HHS, Kennedy would oversee the FDA.
Despite Kennedy’s stance, the FDA continues to urge caution regarding raw milk consumption, particularly among vulnerable populations such as the elderly, immune-compromised individuals, children, and pregnant women. The FDA’s consumer education campaigns emphasize the health risks associated with raw milk and encourage informed decisions about its consumption.
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