Mark McAfee, who leads the California-based Raw Farm and founded the Raw Milk Institute, teaches others about the benefits of raw milk for human consumption. But there are risks, as well.

Big Number. 57. That is the total number of H5 bird flu cases among people across the U.S., according to CDC data. However, there have been no reported cases of person-to-person spread so far.

Raw milk is legal for retail sale within California, which is the nation’s largest dairy producer and has had over 500 herds infected with bird flu. Several states ban the sale of raw milk entirely.

After two limited recalls, all raw milk and cream from a Fresno-based dairy farm must be removed from store shelves. The cows at Raw Farm are infected with H5N1 bird flu, state officials say.

A cow grazes in a field at a dairy farm on April 26, 2024, in Petaluma, California. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is ordering dairy producers to test cows that produce milk for infections ...

Distribution of Raw Farm raw milk products has been suspended after bird flu virus was found in milk samples, the California Department of Food and Agriculture said. “All Raw Farm operations are ...

To date, no human infections have been linked to Raw Farm's raw milk. However, real-world evidence from H5N1 infections in dairy workers strongly indicates that people can become infected from milk.