USDA tests ground beef amid bird flu outbreak in dairy cows
As bird flu continues to spread among dairy cows, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is now testing ground beef for the presence of the virus. The agency is sampling ground beef bought in states where dairy cattle have tested positive for the virus, as well as testing muscle tissue from sick cows. The USDA is also injecting a "virus surrogate" into ground beef and cooking it at different temperatures to determine how much virus is killed. Despite the testing, the USDA assures consumers that the meat supply is safe. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is also testing retail milk samples for live bird flu virus, with initial findings suggesting that the pasteurization process is killing the virus. However, genetic bits of the virus have been found in 20% of retail milk samples, indicating that bird flu has spread widely among dairy cows. The FDA is continuing testing efforts and has not found any evidence of the virus in infant and toddler formulas. The USDA has now implemented mandatory testing of dairy cows moving across state lines. Experts believe that pasteurization should kill the virus and assure the safety of milk.
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