Food Supply Safe Despite Bird Flu

The FDA says cottage cheese and sour cream are still safe to eat after the bird flu was found in dairy cows.

The agency said Wednesday that it conducted tests on nearly 300 pasteurized retail dairy products after traces of the virus were found last week in the commercial milk supply. It said the tests showed the products didn’t contain live virus that could make people sick.

The FDA said it also tested powdered infant and toddler formulas and found no evidence of bird flu virus. An official with the agency said the findings confirm that the pasteurization process inactivates the virus, making it unable to infect people.

Farmers and ranchers in Kansas have been advised to practice good biosecurity measures to protect their susceptible animals from being exposed. This includes limiting movement of vehicles and visitors on and off the premises, separating domestic and wild animals as much as possible, minimizing movement of cattle, and monitoring animals for clinical signs of bird flu.