Federal government 'believes' virus found in grocery store milk is safe for consumption

Los Angeles Times— After identifying remnants of bird flu virus in grocery store milk, federal officials announced Wednesday that they "believe" the nation's milk supply is safe and that the virus is inactivated by pasteurization. "Heating milk to a specific temperature for a set period of time through pasteurization is done to limit the activity of pathogens to a level that does not pose a risk to consumer health," said Don Prater, acting director of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety...

The Washington Post—Bird flu virus found in grocery milk as officials say supply still safe. The finding does not suggest a threat to human health but indicates the avian flu virus is more widespread among dairy herds than previously thought.

Global News—Bird flu virus detected in U.S. grocery store milk. FDA says supply still safe. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday that samples of pasteurized milk had tested positive for remnants of the bird flu virus that has infected dairy cows.

CNN—FDA finds traces of H5N1 bird flu viruses in grocery store milk but says pasteurized dairy products are still safe. The US Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday that it had detected viral particles of H5N1 avian influenza in milk purchased at grocery stores, but the agency says it still believes that the milk is safe to drink. In an update about an ongoing outbreak of bird flu in cattle, the FDA noted that it believes the viral particles were detected by highly sensitive lab tests and are likely to have been remnants of viruses killed during the pasteurization process. The agency said that it does not...