FDA finds traces of H5N1 bird flu viruses in grocery store milk

DEDHAM, Mass. — The US Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday that it had detected bird flu in milk purchased at grocery stores, but the agency says it still believes people won’t get sick if they consume pasteurized dairy products.

According to the FDA, several federal and state agencies continue to investigate an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus impacting dairy cows in multiple states. Infection with the virus is causing decreased lactation, low appetite, and other symptoms in affected cattle.

The FDA noted that it believes the viral particles were detected by highly sensitive lab tests and are likely to have been remnants of viruses killed during the pasteurization process.

The FDA said Tuesday that milk from sick cows is being “diverted or destroyed,” while milk sold in interstate commerce is being pasteurized, a process that heats it briefly to kill microbes.

“To date, we have seen nothing that would change our assessment that the commercial milk supply is safe. Results from multiple studies will be made available in the next few days to weeks,” the agency said.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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