Sales of raw milk are rising in the United States even though health officials warned it could cause people to become infected with bird flu.
Market sales data show that 65 percent more raw milk was purchased in the United States last week compared to the same period last year.
The CDC issued an official warning last month asking people not to consume raw milk because it had not been pasteurized, a process in which milk is heated and then quickly cooled to kill germs.
But the alarm seems to have had the opposite effect: sales increased by 21 percent compared to the previous seven days. A farm in California says it can barely keep raw milk on its shelves because of its popularity.
Data suggests Americans are ignoring officials and buying more raw milk. The man in the photo above posted a message in favor of raw milk, saying it can “boost immunity” to bird flu.
California farmer Mark McAfee (left) said they were having a harder time keeping raw milk on shelves compared to before.
Among the influencers urging people to drink raw milk is William Trebing of South Carolina, who also claims to be a chiropractor, who wrote online: ‘(Raw milk is) the perfect solution to PREVENT “bird flu.”
‘It is actually an immune stimulant to prevent many types of “colds/flu.” It’s actually one of the best things you can eat, packed with healing nutrients.’
Mark McAfee, a farmer who sells raw milk in Fresno, California, added that he was receiving calls from people asking for raw milk actually infected with the virus.
“Some people in the raw milk community think that ingesting infected milk will help develop a strong immune system,” he said. The Telegraph.
There are several posts on social media about how raw milk can boost the immune system, including one from glow with her— which has more than 355,000 followers, where it says: ‘(Raw milk) is necessary to rebuild the intestinal barrier, which Keep all those bugs, toxins and pathogens away.’
The map above shows the number of herds reporting avian flu infections by state.
People have also posted photos of themselves feeding raw milk to their animals. Both dogs and cats have previously tested positive for the virus.
Raw milk is milk that comes directly from a cow’s udder and has not gone through the pasteurization process.
As a result, it is much more likely to cause illnesses and hospitalizations related to dangerous bacteria such as campylobacter, listeria, salmonella, and E. coli.
This differs from milk in grocery stores, which is heated to 161°F (71°C) and then quickly cooled to kill microbes hiding in it.
The CDC says raw milk is “one of the riskiest foods” you can consume.
Before pasteurization began in 1924, 25 percent of food outbreaks were linked to milk, official figures show. In comparison, today it is less than one percent.
However, a large number of people, from gym athletes to housewives and teenagers, have posted videos online urging people to try raw milk.
Dr. Donald Schaffner, a professor of food science at Rutgers University, said he was “just shaking my head” after hearing that people were still consuming raw milk.
Alex O’Brien, safety coordinator at the Dairy Research Centre, added: “I liken drinking raw milk to playing Russian roulette.”
Scientists are concerned that if someone drinks raw milk containing “live” bird flu, they could become infected with the virus and potentially cause the disease to acquire new mutations that allow it to spread between people.
CDC officials say this is a theoretical possibility if the bird flu virus comes into contact with receptors in a human’s nose, mouth and throat or is accidentally inhaled into the lungs.
They point to cases on farms where cats drank milk from infected cows and then became infected and died from the disease.
But to date there have been no recorded cases of humans contracting bird flu through milk, although the disease is only believed to have spread to cows earlier this year.
Raw Farm USA’s McAfee added that people were rushing to buy milk “like crazy” after the warnings.
“Everything the FDA tells customers to do, they do the opposite,” he added.
Bonni Gilley, 75, also of Fresno, who has raised several generations of her family on raw milk, added that the warnings had encouraged her to buy more milk.
So far, a total of 46 farms in nine states have reported bird flu in their dairy herds, although there are fears that others may be infected.
Only one person has tested positive for the illness linked to this outbreak, a Texas farmer, but officials fear others may be infected.
TOAccording to experts, about 4.4 percent of adults in the United States (or nearly 11 million people) drink raw milk, despite the risks.
There are several videos online urging people to drink the milk of influencers, including a holistic doctor known as ‘Carnivore MD’.
States have different regulations on raw milk: only a few allow retail sales in stores and others only allow sales on farms.