USDA Announces Negative Bird Flu Tests in Retail Ground Beef Samples

In the midst of this year's unprecedented outbreak of the bird flu in cattle, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has conducted tests on ground beef purchased at retail stores. The results of these tests have been negative for the presence of the bird flu virus, providing reassurance about the safety of the meat supply.

The department emphasized the rigorous meat inspection process overseen by the Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS), which inspects each animal before slaughter. It was stated that all cattle carcasses must pass inspection after slaughter and be determined fit to enter the human food supply, further affirming the safety of the meat supply.

Scope of Testing and Results

A total of 30 samples of ground beef purchased from retail outlets in states with infected dairy cattle herds were tested. Despite the confirmed cases of H5N1 in dairy cattle in nine states, the tests on ground beef have shown no presence of the virus. Additionally, further results related to bird flu in beef are expected to be released soon.

Aside from the testing conducted on ground beef, the department is also testing beef muscle samples from condemned dairy cows for the virus. Furthermore, research is being carried out to determine the effect of cooking beef patties to different temperatures on the elimination of the virus.

In response to the outbreak, the USDA recently increased testing requirements on dairy cattle crossing state lines after detecting a mutated version of H5N1 in the lung tissue of an asymptomatic cow that had been sent to slaughter. This incident raised concerns about the spread of the virus, leading to the enhanced testing measures.

Presence of Bird Flu in Retail Dairy Supply

In a separate development, indications of bird flu have been found in the retail dairy supply, with up to one in five samples of milk testing positive in a nationwide survey conducted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). While the FDA attributed these findings to harmless virus fragments remaining after pasteurization, questions have been raised about the potential presence of the virus in milk from asymptomatic cows.

The discovery of bird flu in the milk supply has raised concerns among health authorities and experts about the possibility of cows carrying the virus without exhibiting symptoms. A herd in North Carolina that tested positive for H5N1 remains asymptomatic and continues to produce milk, prompting uncertainty about the source of the virus and its spread within the milk supply.

Efforts to trace the virus in the dairy supply have been complicated by the extensive testing required to trace back milk from numerous farms, especially considering that milk processors can receive milk from multiple farms across different states. This challenge has been highlighted by officials from various departments of agriculture, indicating the complexity of tracing the origin of the virus in the milk supply.