USDA to test ground beef in states with outbreaks of bird flu in dairy cows
The U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Monday it is collecting samples of ground beef at retail stores in states with outbreaks of bird flu in dairy cows for testing but remains confident the meat supply is safe.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Monday it is collecting samples of ground beef at retail stores in states with outbreaks of bird flu in dairy cows for testing but remains confident the meat supply is safe.
The USDA will analyze the ground beef with tests that determine “whether any viral particles are present,” according to a statement. Some dairy cows are processed into ground beef when they grow old.
The USDA on Monday began requiring lactating dairy cows to test negative for bird flu before being shipped across state lines as the federal government seeks to contain the month-old outbreak.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Friday that preliminary results of gold-standard PCR tests of milk showed pasteurization killed the bird flu virus, as Colorado became the ninth U.S. state to report an infected dairy herd.
The USDA said it will analyze the retail beef samples with PCR tests, as well.
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