Ground beef tests negative for bird flu, says USDA

Ground beef tests negative for bird flu, the USDA said on May 1, 2024. With the outbreak of highly pathogenic bird flu (H5N1) affecting not only birds but also livestock in recent weeks, there was some concern that the virus would be found. with minced beef.

The virus has been found intact in raw milk, but only fragments of the pathogen have been found in pasteurized milk. The USDA collected samples of ground beef from stores in states where dairy herds had tested positive for the virus at the time the samples were collected.

The samples were sent to the APHIS National Veterinary Services Laboratory for PCR testing. All samples tested negative for H5N1, reaffirming that the meat supply is safe.

Of course, avoiding raw milk and cooking all ground beef to a safe internal final temperature of 160°F, and testing that temperature with a reliable meat thermometer, is yet another safeguard you can use to protect your health and that of your protect family.

The USDA is working on three separate beef safety studies related to the avian flu virus in meat from infected dairy cattle. The first was the ground beef samples collected from retail stores in the affected states. No virus particles were found in the meat, meaning the ground beef tested negative for bird flu.

The second is to collect muscle samples from culled dairy cows that are condemned at selected FSIS-inspected slaughterhouses. The samples will be analyzed by APHIS using PCR to determine the presence of virus particles. The results of this study will be published as soon as they become available.

And finally, a beef cooking study will be conducted using a virus surrogate in ground beef. The beef will be cooked at different temperatures to find the log reduction of the virus. These results will be published when the study is completed.