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Food safety officials said they are testing beef, including ground beef from grocery stores, for the presence of the H5N1 bird flu virus circulating in dairy cattle.
The United States Department of Agriculture announced Monday that it is conducting three separate beef safety studies. The agency is sampling beef purchased at grocery stores in states where dairy cattle have been confirmed to be infected with the HIV avian influenza virus. He is also taking muscle tissue samples from cows that have been slaughtered in their herds.
Finally, they are conducting culinary studies by inoculating minced meat with a “viral surrogate” and cooking it at different temperatures. Heat Composition.
The action is as a country Colombia. He set limits On beef and beef products from US states where dairy herds have confirmed cases of avian influenza.
The US Beef Export Foundation says the bans have “no scientific basis.” The United States is Colombia's largest supplier of beef, accounting for about $40 million last year, the foundation said.
The USDA is testing beef by polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, a highly sensitive lab test that can pick up even non-viral genetic material, if present. Any positive samples are further evaluated for live virus, the USDA said.
“The USDA is confident that the meat supply is safe. The USDA has a strict meat inspection process” and “many safeguards are in place to protect consumers,” the agency said in a statement to the media on Monday.
“We recommend that consumers handle raw meat properly and cook it to a safe internal temperature,” the agency added.