USDA: H5N1 beef safety studies
31 May, 2024
The United States' Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) has detected viral particles of HPAI A(H5N1) in tissue samples, including muscle, from a cull dairy cow condemned (declared unfit for consumption) on post-mortem inspection due to signs of systemic disease. Dairy cattle slaughtered for beef production undergo routine inspection before and after slaughter by the FSIS. Meat from dairy cattle condemned at slaughter due to systemic disease do not enter the human food supply.
A study of ground beef inoculated with A(H5N1) suggested cooking burgers medium to well done (to a temperature of 63C to 71C) inactivated the virus, while cooking burgers to 49C (rare) also substantially inactivated the virus.
