As the avian flu virus mutates, New York scientists are helping the USDA and FDA keep our milk and raw cheese industries safe. The State Agriculture Department announced that scientists at Cornell University spent the last several months testing to find any traces of the avian flu virus during the raw milk cheese making and aging process.
They discovered that when the virus is injected into raw milk samples, it can survive the 60-day aging period used in making aged raw cheese. The findings highlight the importance of the U.S. Government’s weekly monitoring of milk samples at dairy farms.
In January, inspectors began collecting raw milk samples to test for the virus. To date, there are no reported cases in products sold on the marketplace.
