Tests conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture on ground beef purchased at retail stores have all come back negative for bird flu, providing reassurance that the meat supply is safe. The meat inspection process overseen by the department’s Food Safety Inspection Service is cited as rigorous, with each animal inspected before slaughter and all carcasses checked for fitness before entering the human food supply. As dairy cattle in several states have tested positive for H5N1, testing on beef samples was conducted to ensure the safety of the meat supply. Additional studies are being conducted on beef muscle samples from condemned dairy cows, as well as testing on the effects of cooking beef patties to different temperatures on killing off the virus.
Concerns arose after a mutated version of H5N1 was detected in the lung tissue of an asymptomatic cow that had been sent to slaughter. While the cow was prevented from entering the food supply, this incident prompted increased testing requirements for dairy cattle moving across state lines. The National Veterinary Services Laboratories conducted tests on ground beef samples purchased from states with dairy cattle herds that had tested positive for bird flu, with results coming back negative so far. The outbreak has also affected the retail dairy supply, with one in five milk samples testing positive for bird flu fragments after pasteurization. The presence of the virus in milk supply raised concerns about asymptomatic cows potentially spreading the virus without detection.
The source of H5N1 in the milk supply remains unclear, with health authorities facing challenges in tracing the virus back to its origin due to the complex nature of milk processing and distribution. Milk processors often receive milk from multiple farms, making it difficult to trace the virus to specific sources. More testing and surveillance are needed to determine the extent of contamination and prevent further spread of bird flu through dairy products. The detection of the virus in milk samples highlights the need for increased vigilance in monitoring livestock health and implementing control measures to safeguard the food supply. Ongoing research and testing are essential to better understand the transmission of bird flu and mitigate its impact on public health.
