Fed-State tussling over raw milk, which will hopefully end once the fallout over Chevron lands directly on FDA's Rockville office with a bang.
I can't wait to see the egg on FDA's face, or...
3 years after the Chevron legal doctrine came into play, in 1987, FDA started its 4 decade war on raw milk, banning the sale of raw milk for humans across state lines. Luckily, it cannot ban intrastate sales, though it desperately wants to. With Chevron gone, the FDA may be prohibited from banning interstate sales as well, if challenged in court.
By Robin Foster, Health Day Reporter
FRIDAY, June 7, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday asked states to work harder to protect the public from the risks of raw milk as a bird flu outbreak continues to spread among dairy cows.
In an open letter to state and local officials, the agency urged more testing of herds that produce raw milk for sale and recommended that states use their regulatory powers to stop the sale of raw milk where dairy herds have tested positive.
On Thursday, Minnesota became the 10th state to report an infected herd. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 82 U.S. herds have now tested positive for the H5N1 avian virus.
The FDA doesn’t allow the sale of raw milk across state lines, but several states allow the sale of raw milk within their borders, with varying requirements, the agency noted.
Raw milk can carry high levels of the H5N1 bird flu virus because it appears to infect cows through their udders. While it isn't yet clear whether people can get bird flu by drinking contaminated milk, cats living on farms with infected cows have died after consuming raw milk and three dairy workers exposed to it have been infected. [And that is the very best “evidence” they have that raw milk is a problem after 3 months of intensively trying to prove there is a problem. Then it must be safe—Nass]
“Given the current and potential future risks that HPAI H5N1 virus poses to our nation’s public health, as well as the health of our nation’s food-producing animals and wildlife, it is important to work together to minimize the additional exposure of humans and other animal species,” Dr. Don Prater, who is leading the FDA’s H5N1 response, told CNN.
Along with stronger warnings about the dangers of raw milk, the FDA is recommending that any raw milk or raw milk products from exposed cattle that are fed to calves or any other animals be heat-treated or pasteurized, the FDA said.
The agency added that it would soon share new research and data on both bird flu virus in raw milk and raw milk products.
[Well here is the FDA web page with the updates and as of yesterday June 28, they say new testing reveals pasteurized milk is fine, and FDA says NOTHING about raw milk. Here is what the FDA says instead:—Nass
Importantly, the FDA continues to emphasize its longstanding recommendations regarding the consumption of unpasteurized (raw) milk because it has the potential to be contaminated with pathogens that cause illness and it has been linked to numerous foodborne illness outbreaks in the past. Based on the limited research and information available, we do not know at this time if the HPAI H5N1 virus can be transmitted to humans through consumption of raw milk and products made from raw milk from infected cows…
More information
The CDC has more about bird flu.
SOURCE: U.S. Food and Drug Administration, letter, June 6, 2024; CNN
I’ve been getting raw milk for over 10 years and this whole thing is a scam against it!!!!! It’s so superior to the milk sold in stores! It’s been lied about for years because they want people to be unhealthy! It’s totally safe, plus the cows are cared for like family to these farmers
Just because there is or might be a pathogen in food we consume doesn’t mean it will infect us. Unless you are on an acid blocker or take tons of “Tums”, you body is made to kill most pathogens introduced into the stomach. We are “fearfully and wonderfully made”.