How Bird Flu Impacts Our Food Supply
SO far, bird flu has actually had a limited impact on food safety. The likelihood of H5N1 being transmitted through poultry products is extremely low. Firstly, infected birds are pretty quick to show symptoms and be taken out by the virus, which means there is a very narrow window for eggs to be laid before developing fatal symptoms. There are also safeguards in place across the commercial food chain to ensure any and all food products that could even potentially be contaminated never leave the farm.
When a commercial farm tests positive for bird flu, the entire facility is placed under quarantine and all movement of eggs and birds stops. Farmers are not permitted to resume operations without a thorough cleaning, disinfecting, testing process, followed by approval from regulatory authorities. For milk, things are a little bit easier to deal with. Infected cattle milk may contain the virus still, but the pasteurization process effectively kills it.