The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has recalled all raw milk and cream products from Raw Farm LLC due to possible H5N1 contamination. Pasteurized milk remains safe to drink.
The broad, voluntary recall comes after multiple detections of the virus in the company’s milk and dairy. Raw Farm milk products have tested positive for H5N1 at retail and dairy storage and bottling sites in recent days.
The expanded recall includes all sizes of Raw Farm milk and cream produced between November 9 and November 27. The affected lot numbers are 20241109 through 20241127, which includes the two lots recalled on November 24 and November 27. Customers should immediately return any remaining product to the retail point of purchase.
Public health officials identified the H5N1 virus in retail products from Raw Farm the week of November 25. Additional testing by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) of bulk milk storage and bottled products at Raw Farm’s bottling facility showed the presence of the virus. All milk tested by CDFA remained at the Raw Farm plant and was not released to consumers. As the disease investigation continues, Raw Farm is cooperating fully with CDPH and CDFA.
While this voluntary recall only applies to raw whole milk and cream, due to multiple H5N1 detections in the company's operation, CDPH urges consumers to avoid consuming any Raw Farm products for human consumption including raw milk, cream, cheese and kefir, as well as raw milk pet food topper and pet food kefir marketed to pet owners.
In addition to the statewide voluntary recall, CDFA has placed the farm under quarantine, suspending any new distribution of its raw milk, cream, kefir, butter and cheese products produced on or after November 27.
No human H5N1 cases associated with the product have been confirmed to date, and the state is working closely with federal and local partners to investigate the situation and better understand how it might impact consumers. California continues to monitor and respond to H5N1 outbreaks in dairy cows and poultry. Virus levels have been demonstrated to be high in raw milk from infected cows, and sporadic human cases identified in workers in close contact with infected dairy cows and their milk indicate that raw milk is infectious to humans.
