Health & Fitness
According to officials, the USDA discovered the virus during routine testing of beef tissue from 96 dairy cows.
Posted Sat, May 25, 2024 at 11:28 am ET
Bird flu has been detected in beef for the first time, the United States Department of Agriculture announced Friday. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd, File)
WASHINGTON, DC — Bird flu has been detected in beef for the first time, the United States Department of Agriculture announced Friday. Despite the discovery, officials said the meat did not enter the nation’s food supply and beef remains safe to consume.
According to officials, the USDA discovered the virus during routine testing of beef tissue from 96 dairy cows that were removed from the food supply after showing signs of illness.
Bird flu was found in one of the cows, while the others tested negative, officials said.
Bird flu has been confirmed in dairy cattle herds in nine states, has been found in milk and has prompted the slaughter of millions of chickens and turkeys; however, finding it in beef is a new development for the outbreak, which began in 2022.
The agency said last month that it would test ground beef for bird flu at retail stores, but officials have not found any sign of the virus.
“USDA is confident that the meat supply is safe,” the agency said in a statement. “USDA has a rigorous meat inspection process, which includes Food Safety and Inspection Service veterinarians who are present at all federal livestock slaughter facilities. FSIS personnel inspect each animal before slaughter, and all cattle carcasses must pass a second inspection after slaughter and be determined to be fit to enter the human food supply.”
If bird flu were to end up in the nation’s food supply, USDA officials said cooking the meat to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit would kill the virus.
Two farmworkers at dairies in Michigan and Texas were sickened by bird flu this spring. The danger to the public remains low, but farmworkers exposed to infected animals are at higher risk, health officials said.
Only one other human case of bird flu has been confirmed in the United States. In 2022, a prisoner in a work program picked it up while killing infected birds at a poultry farm in Montrose County, Colorado. His only symptom was fatigue, and he recovered.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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