Ice cream, butter and cheese are among the latest products to be tested by the FDA for bird flu — amid a rampant outbreak among dairy cows.
In a press release, the agency revealed it would examine 155 products purchased at supermarkets nationwide for traces of the H5N1 virus.
If any people are positive for the virus, further testing will be carried out to determine whether the virus is ‘alive’ in them – or can cause infection in humans.
The extensive testing builds on previous testing, which found the virus in supermarket milk, cottage cheese and sour cream, but in all cases the virus was ‘dead’ and unable to cause infection in humans.
Ground beef, infant formula and powdered milk were also all tested for the virus and all tested negative.
A check mark indicates foods that tested positive for bird flu, while an X indicates foods that tested for bird flu but were found not to contain the virus
More than 120 U.S. dairy farms have now tested positive for bird flu, raising growing concerns among health officials about the virus entering this country’s food supply.
Officials have so far suggested that the risk to the public is “low” because dairy products are pasteurized — in which milk is quickly heated to 162 degrees Fahrenheit (72 degrees Celsius) and then cooled — to kill dangerous pathogens.
Tests have shown that fragments of the bird flu virus found in products do not replicate in laboratory experiments, showing they are ‘dead’ – or unable to make copies of themselves and infect humans.
However, those who drink raw milk and its products are at risk because the products are not pasteurized – and may still contain a ‘live’ virus.
Officials have urged people not to consume raw milk or any other product containing it.
But the alarm has had the opposite effect for many, with data suggesting raw milk sales have risen by 21 percent. A California farm says it can barely keep milk on the shelves.
And fitness influencers and stay-at-home moms are encouraging people to drink raw milk products.
There are no known cases of people getting bird flu after eating dairy products from the supermarket or minced meat.
But in April, a former FDA official warned DailyMail.com that there was a risk of people contracting the virus from steaks that had not been cooked enough. According to him, the virus could survive if it was cooked in the center of the meat and then eaten by humans.
In addition to the new products, the FDA said in the press that it would also test more samples of pasteurized milk, cheese and cream cheeses.
It will collect samples from stores across the US, including in states where testing has not been done, and take them to its labs to be screened for the virus.
Previously, 300 samples of milk and cream cheeses were tested from New York, New Jersey, California and Texas, among others.
Of these, 60 – or 20 percent – were found to contain the virus.
The FDA has not released the names of the bird flu-tainted products and said it plans to release the full results in the “near future.”
There are no known infected dairy cow herds contributing to the raw milk supply, said Eric Deeble, USDA acting senior adviser for avian influenza response.
So far, three dairy farm workers in the US have contracted bird flu, one in Texas and two in Michigan. All three worked closely with livestock infected with the virus.
The CDC says it has monitored 690 people exposed to animals suspected or confirmed to be infected with bird flu, officials say.
Fifty-one people who developed flu-like symptoms have also been tested.