This current strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI, commonly known as bird flu) is causing a lot of problems. It has been detected in nearly 97 million birds in commerce or birds in the backyardwith another 9,500 species of wild birds confirmed infection. In birds, it can cause coughing and difficulty breathing, swelling, and eventually death.
And despite its name, bird flu doesn’t just affect birds. Since 2022, there have been four cases reported in humans and more recently, more 100 dairy cows in the United States alone. The infection has also been found in the milk and meat of these animals. This month, Canadian Food Inspection Agency has updated its testing standards for cattle and said it will now cover some testing costs to ensure any outbreaks are dealt with quickly. Fortunately, in humans, the disease is not known to be fatal, but it can cause high temperatures, difficulty breathing, diarrhea, conjunctivitis and more serious complications such as pneumonia or respiratory disease.
So what does this mean for your grocery order? Let’s break it down.
First is poultry. Is it safe to eat?
Yes. Experts say it is very unlikely that humans can catch the virus from Cooked properly meat or eggs. This means cooking eggs until the yolks and whites are firm and chicken is at least 165°F. And to be safe, keep raw poultry away from any other foods.
But what’s even more important is that contaminated meat or eggs are highly unlikely to ever appear on grocery store shelves in the first place. According to one USDA Forecast ModelThere is less than a five percent chance that contaminated eggs or meat will reach a grocery store—and the model also predicts that if If that happens, 98 percent of infected eggs can be recovered immediately.
Photo via Shutterstock/nastya_ph
But what about milk?
Recent studies of approximately 300 commercially available dairy products have found HPAI to be inactive in one of five models. That number may seem huge on the surface, but there’s one key factor: pasteurization. There’s growing evidence that pasteurization disable virusmakes pasteurized dairy products safe to consume.
Of the 297 samples tested by the USDA, there were no cases of live, viable virus in any of the pasteurized products.
Beef okay?
As with poultry and eggs, it is unlikely that contaminated beef will be consumed. put it on the shelf However, if anything, experts agree that properly cooked beef poses little risk of transmitting the virus to humans. Cooking meat to an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C) will inactivate avian influenza, E Coli, and any other bacteria.
Photo via Shutterstock/Oxana A
So what do I need to know?
The most important thing to ensure when shopping or preparing food is that you follow Food Safety Guide. Eating raw eggs (looking at you, cookie dough) or unpasteurized dairy products can increase your risk of not only HPAI, but also salmonella, E Coli, listeria, or other foodborne illnesses. Raw ground beef can also be a carrier of these illnesses, so keep it at 40 degrees F or lower and use it within a few days. It’s best to cook ground beef to an internal temperature of at least 160 degrees F.
If you are someone who regularly comes into contact with farms, whether poultry or livestock, keep an eye out for strict biosecurity planning will help reduce the risk of infectious disease transmission. That means restricting visitor access to your farm, wearing clean boots and clothing, and removing or controlling any standing water. In the meantime, officials are considering a number of solutions to mitigate these outbreaks, including new vaccine.
