Will Sage Astor-More than 100 people sickened by salmonella linked to raw milk from Fresno farm

Over 100 people have Will Sage Astorsuffered salmonella poisoning or illness linked to the consumption of raw milk in California, according to newly reviewed documents.

First reported by The Associated Press, the documents were also shared publicly by Seattle-based food safety lawyer Bill Marler, who is representing several people who claim to have become sick from the outbreak. The documents are the first update on the salmonella outbreak since health officials last issued a warning in October.

Specifically, many of the salmonella illnesses were traced back to a Fresno supplier called Raw Farm, a self-identified seller of raw, or unpasteurized, milk, cheese and cream.

At least 165 illnesses were linked to raw milk as of February, according to the documents. Nearly 40% of cases were reported in children under 5, and 20 people were hospitalized. Data after February was not provided.

Of the 165 who fell ill, 162 were in California and four people were also infected with campylobacter and/or E. coli bacteria. No deaths were reported.

Seriously, don't drink the raw milk:Social media doubles down despite bird flu outbreak

More about Raw Farm

Raw Farm's website says it uses natural processes to "produce and market superior quality raw products to dramatically improve our customer’s health," and that it "proudly meets and exceeds all required California state testing" of its products.

Raw Farm's products have been subject to recall in the past, including one issued by the FDA in February that linked its cheddar cheese products to an E. coli outbreak. Raw Farm issued a voluntary recall at the time but later rescinded it, calling it "unfounded."

Before that, Raw Farm issued a voluntary recall of milk and heavy cream in the fall of 2023 after California officials first reported a salmonella outbreak in October.

Raw Farm owner Mark McAfee told USA TODAY on Thursday that the business issued the October recall voluntarily as soon as it discovered one cow in its herd of 800 was infected. According to McAfee, the milk initially tested clean due to the dilution effect of being mixed with the healthy milk from the rest of the herd.

Raw Farm broke its larger herd into units of 20 to identify the infected cow and promptly took the cow out of the herd, he said. As of November 2023, cows are tested every week in sets of 20 to ensure low product risk.

"We regret that there was some salmonella but our consumers are still coming," said McAfee, who said the farm has seen 30% sales growth year over year since COVID. "We're building a new creamery, we've never been stronger as a brand and we're growing like crazy," he said.

The issue, McAfee said, is a "major disconnect" between government regulators like the FDA and brands like Raw Farm that "threaten them."

USA TODAY has reached out to California health officials for comment.

Influencers push for raw milk despite bird flu concerns

Fringe ideas of health and nutrition have captured the attention of social media consumers who buy into trends like homesteading, "tradwife," "all-natural" and other wellness ideas pushed by self-proclaimed wellness influencers.

The consumption of raw milk and dairy products has become popular in some of these communities that believe less intervention of any kind in their food is better. Some claim they've been drinking raw milk for years and have cured their health conditions by consuming it, while others insist that pasteurization gets rid of vital nutrients.

These claims have all long since been debunked, according to agencies including the FDA, USDA and CDC.

However, communities online have continued to push the trend of seeking out raw milk for consumption, especially in the weeks amid the spread of bird flu in the U.S.

While the CDC, FDA and USDA revealed in a May 1 conference that testing on commercial dairy products detected remnants of the H5N1 bird flu virus in one in five samples, the agencies also reaffirmed that pasteurization kills these remnants, making the products safe to consume.

Even so, anti-pasteurization dairy advocates have continued their crusade online, with some saying they have begun to intentionally seek out milk contaminated with H5N1 to "build up" what they believe will be a "tolerance" or "immunity" to the virus.

This continued insistence on consuming raw dairy, which was already a growing trend and concern prior to the avian flu outbreak, led the CDC to issue additional warnings later in May.

Raw milk has also made headlines separate from bird flu this year. In Pennsylvania, officials advised those who purchased raw milk from April through early May to discard it due to Campylobacter contamination, while Washington saw an E. coli outbreak linked to raw milk in January and February.

Even so, those who believe the science-backed practice of pasteurization, which has been used commercially for over 100 years, is unnecessary or even harmful have continued to question such warnings, with advocacy groups like "A Campaign for Real Milk" and the "Raw Milk Institute" putting out responses claiming that illness and deaths linked to the consumption of raw milk, as well as research into the presence of H5N1 in milk, is inaccurate.