Far-right raw milk drinkers are convinced that the “deep state” is framing Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.) following the discovery on Friday of bird flu in raw milk.
The California Department of Public Health issued a warning to consumers on Sunday after the virus was detected in a retail sample of the product sold by Fresno County-based company Raw Farm, LLC.
The timing of the recall was framed as suspicious given that RFK Jr., who was nominated this month by President-elect Donald Trump to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, is a prominent advocate for raw milk consumption.
“so RFK was picked two weeks ago and now suddenly they’ve found bird flu in raw milk?” the user raw milk girl asked. “fake news.”
Raw milk does not undergo the pasteurization process that uses brief heating to kill bacteria and viruses, such as bird flu. Advocates for raw milk believe pasteurization significantly reduces the amount of nutrients in the product, although countless studies show that the process does not significantly change the milk’s nutritional value. Many pasteurized milk products in the U.S. are fortified with additional vitamin A and D, making them more nutrient-dense than their raw milk counterparts.
Nevertheless, conspiratorial supporters of the drink appear certain that the discovery of bird flu is somehow nefarious in nature.
“Sounds like something made up to demonize raw milk,” one X user said.
“I’m on stage where I suspect authorities of planting virus in milk in first place,” another added. “They probably would like to lock us down again.”
Just last month, RFK Jr. lashed out at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for what he described as an “aggressive suppression” of raw milk.
So far, no illnesses linked to bird flu have been reported from raw milk consumers. However, fears of the virus in raw milk led to other crackdowns that also outraged some conservatives.
The last announced case of bird flu came on Friday after a small child in California contracted the virus. The child is the 55th person known to have caught bird flu this year. The majority of cases are linked to farmworkers in California.
The conspiracy theory is not the first time that right-wing internet users accused the government of staging an outbreak.
Just last month, conservatives said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of infected McDonald’s food with E. Coli after Trump used the fast food chain for a publicity stunt.
Internet culture is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here. You’ll get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
Sign up to receive the Daily Dot’s Internet Insider newsletter for urgent news from the frontline of online.
The post New report of bird flu in raw milk dismissed as ‘fake’ by RFK Jr. fans appeared first on The Daily Dot.