All Raw Farm milks recalled over bird flu — but can you actually get the virus by drinking it?

Contaminated raw milk continues to be the bane of public health officials.

The California Public Health Department has officially recalled all Raw Farm brand milk and cream on store shelves, instead of just the previously two recalled lot numbers. It’s strongly discouraging people from consuming any of the Fresno company’s other raw dairy products.

The milk and cream have tested positive for bird flu as recently as the past week. While it’s not widely consumed by the general public, raw milk has garnered more attention recently through Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of Health and Human Services, who has been a strong advocate.

Currently, about 4.4% of U.S. adults report drinking unpasteurized milk at least once a year.

Understanding the recall

The department said the overall risk to the public remains low, but it’s working to contain the issue. So far, human bird flu cases have been found mostly in dairy workers in the Central Valley.

Raw Farm products tested positive for bird flu at both retail and dairy storage bottling sites. The recall applies to milk and cream produced between Nov. 9 and Nov. 27, covering lot numbers 20241109 through 20241127.

For shoppers, that means Raw Farm products likely won’t be on the shelf for a bit. The farm is under quarantine, preventing it from distributing any new batches of its raw milk, cream, kefir, butter and cheese products.

The department is recommending that people avoid consuming these other products, as well as the company’s raw milk pet food topper and pet food kefir.

You can head back to where you purchased the product to get a refund.

What could drinking contaminated milk do?

Bird flu, or H5N1, is part of the influenza family. It likes to go to a cow’s mammary glands, which is why it’s appearing in milk.

But can you actually get bird flu from drinking contaminated milk?

Dr. Kimberly Shriner, medical director of infection prevention at Huntington Health in Pasadena, said “most of the data shows that the risk from ingesting H5N1 contaminated material, whether it’s milk or something else, that the risk of acquiring the actual disease is relatively low.”

But things like the amount of viral load can change the risk of infection, and bird flu virus levels have been high in raw milk from infected cows, according to the department.

Current data also shows that risk of infection can be lower if you drink it, versus breathing it in, but it’s still possible.

Shriner said public health officials made a “prudent” call with the recall since viruses can mutate quickly.

“I think it’s important to understand that you can be exposed to it,” she said. “But have there been any documented diseases in a human where that’s been the portal of entry? As of yet, no.”

Public health officials have been watching for bird flu for years, and they’ve long been concerned that this could become the next pandemic. Shriner said all it has to do is mix with regular influenza, the H1N1 virus, to acquire the attachment mutation that makes infections more possible. Human-to-human transmission is incredibly rare right now, and hasn’t happened in the U.S.

“We all have decisions to make,” Shriner said, “We do still need to depend on public health departments to keep us safe from diseases that can be potential for pandemics.”