Can You Catch Bird Flu From Food?

What health experts say about the safety of consuming milk, eggs, poultry and more during an avian influenza outbreak

Rachel Nania,

Updated February 10, 2025

AARP

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En español

Published April 05, 2024

/ Updated February 10, 2025

milk from a jug being poured into a tin pitcher

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Bird flu outbreaks at U.S. dairy and poultry farms are prompting questions and concerns over the safety of our food supply.

In the last year, more than 950 dairy herds have been affected by bird flu, the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows, and more than 156 million birds have been hit with the virus, many of them at commercial farms.

Here’s what we know so far about bird flu’s effect on milk, cheese, eggs, poultry and more.

Is it safe to drink milk?

There’s little concern about the safety or availability of milk products in the U.S., health experts say.

A big reason: Nearly all milk sold in the U.S. is pasteurized. This heat treatment process — which is required for any milk sold across state lines — is “very likely” to kill viruses, like bird flu, federal officials say. “However the process is not expected to remove the presence of viral particles,” according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which explains why fragments of inactivated virus have been found in samples of pasteurized milk.

The risk, experts say, is with raw milk. Health officials have long urged people to avoid raw milk and are reminding consumers of this recommendation in light of the bird flu outbreak. Raw milk and raw milk products (like cheeses) are not pasteurized and can be contaminated with potentially harmful bacteria and viruses that can cause illness, like salmonella and E. coli.

According to the CDC, there were 202 outbreaks linked to drinking raw milk between 1998 and 2018. These outbreaks caused 2,645 illnesses and 228 hospitalizations.

A slim share of the population (less than 1 percent) drinks raw milk, often for its purported health perks, though the CDC says there’s no scientific evidence that drinking raw milk provides additional nutritional benefits.

It’s legal to sell raw milk in about half of U.S. states, according to the CDC. In these states, if the word “pasteurized” is not on a product’s label, the FDA cautions that it may contain raw milk. Farmers markets and farm stands should also be able to tell you if the products they sell have been pasteurized.

Typically your packaged sliced and shredded cheeses are pasteurized — but not always, so be sure to check the label, depending on where you live, says Barbara Kowalcyk, a food safety expert and associate professor and director of the Food Policy Institute at George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health.

“Where I tend to pay more attention is when I’m in the specialty cheese section,” Kowalcyk says. “Especially if they’re selling locally branded cheese, it could potentially contain raw milk.”

What about eggs and poultry?

Dairy cows are not the only animals other than wild birds to contract bird flu. (There have been no reports to date of bird flu in beef cattle.) The virus has popped up in harbor seals, bears, foxes, poultry and more.

Still, like with milk, the risk of contracting bird flu from food is low, health officials say, as is the likelihood that infected eggs make it into the commercial food supply.

What’s more, proper storage and preparation further reduce the risk. “There is no evidence that the virus can be transmitted to humans through properly prepared food,” the FDA says.

Kowalcyk says cooking food to proper temperatures will kill any bacteria or viruses that are present. This means cooking poultry to a minimum internal temperature of 165°F and cooking eggs until the yolks are firm. If you’re preparing a casserole or other dish containing egg, the U.S. Department of Agriculture says it should be cooked to a safe minimum internal temperature of 160°F.

“And you always have to watch for cross contamination in your kitchen,” Kowalcyk says, noting that older adults are at higher risk of foodborne illness and serious complications from food poisoning. “So, using separate cutting boards, using separate utensils for raw vs. cooked product, and washing your hands often and washing and sanitizing your surfaces.”

Cracking eggs directly into the pan — instead of into a bowl and then pouring them into a pan — also cuts down on the risk that raw egg will drip on the counter, she says.

Another tip: Don’t wash raw poultry. “Believe it or not, there’s a lot of water that gets aerosolized when you’re running your faucet. And you can’t see it, but it could aerosolize some of the bacteria that’s on the poultry and spread it around your kitchen,” Kowalcyk says.

Editor's note: This story, originally published April 5, 2024, has been updated to include new information.

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