Public health officials announced Tuesday that raw milk contaminated with the avian influenza virus may have been sold at a store in Los Angeles County.
On Sunday, officials announced that Fresno-based Raw Farm Milk Co. had confirmed evidence of avian influenza contamination in a batch of milk bottled on Nov. 9.
All samples taken by the milk farm’s owner, Mark McAfee, and the California Department of Food and Agriculture subsequently tested negative for the virus.
In a statement from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, officials warned residents to avoid consuming Raw Farm LLC milk with lot code 20241109 and a best-before date of November 27, 2024.
McAfee said its products include “Cream Top” whole milk, which is sold in half-gallon and quarter-gallon sizes.
The following retailers may have sold the product:
Back Door Bakery, 8349 Foothill Blvd., Sunland, CA, 91040Eataly, 10250 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, California 90067 Erewhon Market, 475 S. Lake Ave., Pasadena, CA 91101 Erewhon Market, 26767 Agoura Rd., Calabasas, CA 91302Erewhon Market, 4121 Santa Monica Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90029 Erewhon Market, 7660 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036Lazy Acres, 1841 N. Western Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027Vitamin City LB, 6247 E. Spring St., Long Beach, CA 90808Vitamin City, 642 W. Arrow Hwy., San Dimas, CA 91773The Whole Wheatery, 44264 10th W, Lancaster, CA 93534
No illnesses associated with contamination are known or reported.
McAfee said in an interview that the milk will no longer be on store shelves.
“We take back anything that doesn’t sell after seven days,” he said.
This year, 29 people in California have been infected with H5N1 avian influenza. All but one of these incidents involved dairy workers. Last week, state health officials announced that a child in Alameda was infected, but the source of the infection has not been determined.
Most recent H5N1 infections have been mild, with conjunctivitis and mild respiratory symptoms. However, historically, the disease was associated with severe symptoms and death.
In British Columbia, a teenager is in critical condition with the disease. It is still unclear where the teenager picked up the virus, but public health officials say genetic sequencing shows it is closely related to a virus found in wild geese in British Columbia’s Fraser Valley. It says that there are.
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