(NewsNation) — Production of raw milk, cream, and other products has been suspended at a California farm where multiple detections of the bird flu virus have been reported at the site over the past week, state health officials have announced.
The California Department of Public Health placed Raw Farm LLC under quarantine on Tuesday after the bird flu detections were found within the company’s milk and dairy supply. The farm’s products that have already been placed on store shelves have been voluntarily recalled and dairy products that were produced since November 27 have been suspended, the agency said.
No human bird flu cases that are linked to the farm’s products have been confirmed. However, health officials reported high levels of the bird flu virus have been found in raw milk, the health department said.
“Californians are strongly encouraged not to consume any raw milk or cream products in their possession or still on store shelves,” the health department said in a statement issued on Tuesday.
The agency confirmed that pasteurized milk remains safe to drink.
The health department said that public health officials identified the bird flu virus in retail products from Raw Farm last week. The California Department of Food and Agriculture conducted additional testing at the farm, which found that bulk mass storage and bottled products found at the farm’s bottling facility showed the presence of the bird flu virus. None of those products were released to consumers, the health department announced.’
The voluntary recall only involves raw milk and cream, but health officials are warning consumers that they should avoid consuming any food products that originate from Raw Farm, including cheese, kefir as well as raw milk pet food topper and pet food kefir marketed to pet owners.
Bird flu, also known as Type A H5N1 influenza, was first confirmed in U.S. dairy cattle in March and has been spreading widely. In California, more than 435 dairy herds have seen infections — more than all other U.S. states combined, the Associated Press reported. High levels of the virus have been found in the milk of infected cows.
About 20% of samples of pasteurized milk sold in stores were found to contain viral remnants of the virus, according to tests conducted earlier this year by government scientists. Pasteurization, or heat treatment, kills the bird flu virus and also bacteria such as E. coli, listeria, and salmonella, which are known to make people sick.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
