Yes. U.S. testing and processing studies support the safety of properly pasteurized commercial milk and dairy products made with pasteurized milk. Tests have detected influenza genetic material in some samples, but that is not the same as finding live, infectious H5N1 virus. Consumers should choose pasteurized products and avoid raw milk; Colorado’s dairy-herd outbreak and worker infections concern animal and occupational exposure, not evidence that pasteurized grocery-store milk is unsafe.
What the U.S. milk tests found
FDA’s retail survey found no viable virus
In its initial national retail survey in 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) tested 297 dairy-product samples and reported that all were negative for viable H5N1 virus. Viable-virus testing looks for virus capable of infecting cells, which is the key distinction when assessing whether a product could transmit infection.
A later study detected genetic material, not proof of live H5N1
A retrospective monitoring study published in CDC Emerging Infectious Diseases in 2026 detected influenza A genetic material in 61 of 168 pasteurized retail milk samples (36.3%). Those samples were collected April 13–May 3, 2024. Detection of genetic material can indicate that viral traces were present, but it does not establish that infectious H5N1 survived pasteurization. The study’s finding should not be described as proof of live virus in pasteurized milk.
Processing studies support pasteurization
FDA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) also conducted processing studies and found that commercial pasteurization conditions inactivate H5N1. FDA food-processing division director Nathan Anderson said that validating those parameters demonstrates commercial processing can control the highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus and provides broad assurance that pasteurized milk and dairy products made from it are safe.
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Why “virus detected” can mean different things
Tests that detect genetic material, such as PCR-based assays, can register fragments left after a virus has been inactivated by heat. A positive signal for genetic material therefore does not, by itself, show that a sample contains infectious virus. Conversely, the FDA’s finding that all 297 samples tested negative for viable virus addresses whether live virus was found in that survey; it does not mean that no viral traces can ever be detected.
| What is being assessed | What a positive result means | What it does not establish |
|---|---|---|
| Genetic material in a sample | Viral genetic traces were detected. | That the virus is alive or able to infect someone. |
| Viable virus | Virus capable of infecting cells was detected. | That every product in a market or every batch is contaminated. |
This distinction explains how the 2026 monitoring study could find genetic material in some samples while FDA’s 2024 survey found no viable H5N1 in its tested samples. The results address different things and should not be treated as contradictory.
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Pasteurized and raw milk are not equivalent choices
| Product | What consumers should know |
|---|---|
| Milk labeled pasteurized and dairy products made with pasteurized milk | CDC advises consumers to choose these products. Commercial processing studies found that pasteurization conditions inactivate H5N1. |
| Raw or unpasteurized milk and products made from it | CDC advises consumers not to consume these products during the outbreak. They do not receive the heat treatment that controls the virus in commercial pasteurization. |
Choose products labeled pasteurized, including ordinary refrigerated milk and pasteurized dairy products. Do not rely on home test kits to validate commercial pasteurization or determine whether a product is safe.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What Colorado’s outbreak means for milk shoppers
The herd count was a dated surveillance figure
When Colorado announced mandatory statewide surveillance in 2024, the Colorado Department of Agriculture reported 47 confirmed detections in dairy herds. That is a historical count reported in that notice, not a current total. A herd detection indicates infection among animals; it does not establish that pasteurized retail milk is unsafe.
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Animal and occupational exposure are different from drinking pasteurized milk
The human case Colorado announced July 3, 2024 was associated with dairy-cattle exposure. Colorado’s outbreak therefore made worker protection and animal surveillance especially important, but direct contact with infected animals is a different exposure route from drinking properly pasteurized milk. Farm workers and others with direct animal exposure should follow CDC and state occupational guidance and seek testing if they develop symptoms.
National monitoring tracks animal spread
USDA began its National Milk Testing Strategy in December 2024, requiring raw-milk sampling and reporting to monitor the spread of H5N1 in animals. The surveillance program is aimed at detecting animal infections; its existence is not evidence that pasteurized retail milk is unsafe. A herd count in one state also cannot predict the safety of milk sold nationally, since milk may be pooled and processed across state lines.
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