Bird flu virus still present when meat cooked rare, USDA reports
Scientists are racing to understand more about the potential dangers of the H5N1 virus which has been found on dairy farms in the US.
The bird flu virus can remain in rare-cooked meat, research by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has found.
Scientists have been racing to understand more about the potential dangers of the current outbreak of Type A H5N1 bird flu, after the virus was identified among dairy cattle in Texas and Kansas in March earlier this year.
While so far the virus has not been detected within the nation’s meat supply, USDA has conducted safety tests to evaluate whether the virus could survive in cooked meat.
To conduct the study, researchers added the H5N1 virus to ground beef patties. The patties were then cooked at different temperatures to determine what role cooking could have on killing the virus in meat.
When cooked to 145 (medium) or 160 (well done) degrees, the virus was no longer present in the meat. The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) says that 160 degrees is the recommended cooking temperature for meat.
However, when cooking the burgers to 120 (rare) degrees, the virus was “substantially inactivated”, but still present in the meat. It is not yet known whether this reduced level of virus would be dangerous to humans.
Following the publication of the study, USDA said the findings reaffirm that the meat supply is safe. “I don’t think that anybody needs to change any of the safe food handling or safe cooking practices that are already recommended,” said Eric Deeble, an advisor for bird flu at the USDA.
Guidelines by USDA currently say that cooking ground beef to 120 (rare) degrees, is well below the recommended temperature for food safety.
There is some concern that the recommended cooking advice may not be taken onboard by consumers who choose to undercook their meat. This is echoed in a worrying trend that is seeing increased sales of raw milk despite safety advice recommending not to.
The virus has already been detected in milk found on grocery store shelves in the U.S., but the FDA has said it is not likely that the virus particles would be able to infect people. Current research by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has shown that pasteurization - where foods are treated with a mild heat to destroy harmful bacteria - is helping to kill off bird flu in milk.
Credit: Jo-Anne McArthur/We Animals Media
However, the promotion of unpasteurized milk - known as raw milk - has been gaining traction amongst some social media influencers, sometimes alongside controversial health information about raw milk’s health benefits.
"Do not consume unpasteurized dairy products," Dr. Nidhi Kumar recently told CBS New York. "I know there are people that are real advocates for it, but this is not the time to do it."
The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a public health nonprofit of more than 17,000 doctors, has gone further and suggested that consumers concerned about bird flu in cow’s milk should instead swap to plant-based milks.
“To avoid health concerns associated with drinking cow’s milk, there are many great dairy alternatives to try,” said Nutrition Education Specialist Dr. Anna Herby of Physicians Committee. “Soy milk is the highest in protein and has the added benefits of isoflavones, which can reduce breast cancer risk. Almond milk goes great on cereal, and oat milk is tasty in a latte.” You can find the committee's full list of five nutritious alternatives to cow’s milk here.
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