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Tag: avian flu

  • Turkey safe to eat despite bird flu

    Turkeys are supposed to go “gobble-gobble,” not “Ah-CHOO!” 

    But bird flu is on the rise in the U.S. again. 

    The recent jump in cases might hike the price of your Thanksgiving, but it won’t make dinner unsafe. Cooking poultry to 165°F kills the virus. Plus, infected poultry is unlikely to appear in the food supply in the first place. 

    To ease your mind, here’s a quick flap through need-to-knows about bird flu ahead of the holiday week.

    What is bird flu?

    Bird flu, or avian influenza, is a naturally occurring disease among wild birds, including ducks and geese, that can also infect domesticated birds, such as chickens and turkeys.

    The U.S. has been battling flu outbreaks in commercial poultry flocks since 2022. After a summer lull, cases are rising again. Because avian flu spreads quickly and is untreatable in animals, if even one bird in a flock is infected, the entire flock is culled.

    The American Farm Bureau reported in October that since the beginning of the outbreak, 18.7 million turkeys were affected. Including chickens and other poultry, over 180 million birds across more than 1,800 flocks had been affected as of Nov. 20. 

    Bird flu raised wholesale turkey prices, retail price impact is unclear

    The outbreak is pushing wholesale turkey prices higher. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s latest Weekly National Turkey Report (yes, that’s a thing) from Nov. 14 lists the cost of a whole frozen turkey as $1.77 a pound for an 8 to 16 pound bird. That’s up from 97¢ per pound during the same week last year. 

    It’s less clear how that affects retail prices. 

    The American Farm Bureau’s annual Thanksgiving dinner survey found the average retail price for a 16-lb turkey was down 16% percent from last year, at an average of $1.34 per pound. This price drop, despite rising wholesale costs, might be from grocery stores offering Thanksgiving deals to draw consumers in. Retailers often treat turkeys as a “loss leader,” which means companies accept losses on that item and make up the difference from customers’ purchases of other, higher-margin items.

    Purdue’s Center for Food Demand Analysis & Sustainability, on the other hand, estimates the price will be higher than last year at $2.05 per pound, a 25% increase. 

    Prices for a turkey can vary by size, quality, and the store where you buy it, so shop wisely. 

    Cooked turkey is safe to eat

    Unless you’re looking for an excuse to cancel, you can tell Aunt Marge turkey dinner is still on. 

    Cooking poultry and eggs to 165°F kills viruses, including bird flu. Assuming that your food is properly prepared and cooked, it’s safe to eat. This is also a reminder to thaw your turkey!

    You should follow safe cooking guidelines no matter what, but there are other safeguards in place to prevent bird flu from entering the food supply.

    Laws require that all meat and poultry sold commercially pass USDA safety inspection. 

    A USDA spokesperson told PolitiFact that inspectors are present at all federally regulated processing and slaughtering facilities. “Our inspectors verify that facilities maintain sanitary conditions, handle animals humanely, and that their food safety systems are working to prevent contamination with harmful bacteria like E. coli and Salmonella.”  

    The USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service also samples and tests products to make sure they meet safety standards. 

    Can humans get bird flu? 

    Yes, but it’s rare. Infections can happen when the bird flu virus enters a person’s eyes, nose or mouth, or is inhaled.

    But you can be infected only by an animal. There have been no cases of human-to-human transmission.

    People who work with livestock are most at risk of contracting the virus. Since 2024, the CDC has confirmed 71 human cases in the U.S., resulting in one death. The CDC says the public health risk is still low.

    Cows get bird flu, too 

    Since 2024, bird flu has also been detected in dairy cows and their milk. The USDA is monitoring the milk supply; the best way to stay safe is to drink pasteurized milk, not raw milk. 

    Pasteurization, which involves briefly heating milk to below boiling, kills bird flu and other viruses. Most grocery store milk and dairy products are pasteurized. 

    The USDA has found no evidence of the virus in the beef supply. Plus, a safety study the agency conducted found that even after injecting beef patties with high levels of the virus, cooking them to 145°F killed the virus. 

    So Happy Thanksgiving, tell Aunt Marge I said hi and order that meat thermometer! 

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  • Sick Canada Geese in El Dorado County, wildlife experts confirm bird flu arrives with migration

    The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has confirmed at least two cases of avian flu in birds found at Cameron Park Lake in El Dorado County. It’s a popular spot for Canada Geese as migration begins for these birds and others.Launi Varbell, who walks the lake daily, has noticed more geese recently arriving. “I’ve been videoing them because they’re big clusters of them,” she said. “They’re gorgeous. I love them.” Leslie Ackerman from California Wildlife Encounters has been monitoring the situation closely. “I tend to look for ones that are isolated; there’s one over there by himself,” Ackerman said. Ackerman is an experienced wildlife rescuer and noted that they are finding more sick and dying birds than usual. “We found 14 birds, five which were already dead. And the rest I’ve actually had to euthanize,” she said. “It’s been hard hit out here.”Ackerman recorded a video of a sick goose showing flu symptoms, such as spinning in a circle. She said there are other signs too.”Very lethargic. They tend to have neurological issues where they wobble, their head swivels,” Ackerman said. “We have received two Canada Geese carcasses from Cameron Park Lake, and the preliminary results show avian influenza,” said Peter Tira with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.Tira explained that the flu first appeared in wild birds in Northern California in 2022. “Those birds, some of them are diseased, and they bring that in with them. They’re social. They congregate in large flocks. And so it spreads,” Tira said.Ackerman added, “You can see how well it spreads because there’s so many all congregated together.” Wildlife experts anticipate finding more sick geese as more flocks arrive for fall migration. “These guys are healthy, and hopefully they stay that way,” Ackerman said.The Department of Fish and Wildlife reports that the outbreak currently is confined to El Dorado County, with no avian flu deaths reported in Sacramento or Yolo Counties. Experts advise not to touch dead or unusual-acting birds and to inform park management or contact Wildlife Encounters or the Department of Fish and Wildlife. While the risk to humans is minimal, it is important to prevent the spread to other animals or pets.To report a dead or dying animal, call 916-358-2790.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

    CAMERON PARK, Calif. —

    The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has confirmed at least two cases of avian flu in birds found at Cameron Park Lake in El Dorado County. It’s a popular spot for Canada Geese as migration begins for these birds and others.

    Launi Varbell, who walks the lake daily, has noticed more geese recently arriving.

    “I’ve been videoing them because they’re big clusters of them,” she said. “They’re gorgeous. I love them.”

    Leslie Ackerman from California Wildlife Encounters has been monitoring the situation closely.

    “I tend to look for ones that are isolated; there’s one over there by himself,” Ackerman said.

    Ackerman is an experienced wildlife rescuer and noted that they are finding more sick and dying birds than usual.

    “We found 14 birds, five which were already dead. And the rest I’ve actually had to euthanize,” she said. “It’s been hard hit out here.”

    Ackerman recorded a video of a sick goose showing flu symptoms, such as spinning in a circle.

    She said there are other signs too.

    “Very lethargic. They tend to have neurological issues where they wobble, their head swivels,” Ackerman said.

    “We have received two Canada Geese carcasses from Cameron Park Lake, and the preliminary results show avian influenza,” said Peter Tira with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

    Tira explained that the flu first appeared in wild birds in Northern California in 2022.

    “Those birds, some of them are diseased, and they bring that in with them. They’re social. They congregate in large flocks. And so it spreads,” Tira said.

    Ackerman added, “You can see how well it spreads because there’s so many all congregated together.”

    Wildlife experts anticipate finding more sick geese as more flocks arrive for fall migration. “These guys are healthy, and hopefully they stay that way,” Ackerman said.

    The Department of Fish and Wildlife reports that the outbreak currently is confined to El Dorado County, with no avian flu deaths reported in Sacramento or Yolo Counties.

    Experts advise not to touch dead or unusual-acting birds and to inform park management or contact Wildlife Encounters or the Department of Fish and Wildlife. While the risk to humans is minimal, it is important to prevent the spread to other animals or pets.

    To report a dead or dying animal, call 916-358-2790.

    See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

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  • CDC to publicly post wastewater data amid bird flu outbreak

    CDC to publicly post wastewater data amid bird flu outbreak

    CDC to publicly post wastewater data amid bird flu outbreak – CBS News


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    As bird flu spreads among cows in the U.S., the CDC plans to publicly post data on a specific influenza virus found in wastewater. Dr. Celine Gounder, CBS News medical contributor and editor-at-large for public health at KFF, joins to break down the latest developments in tracking the virus.

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  • More cows are being tested and tracked for bird flu. Here’s what that means

    More cows are being tested and tracked for bird flu. Here’s what that means

    U.S. health and agriculture officials are ramping up testing and tracking of bird flu in dairy cows in an urgent effort to understand — and stop — the growing outbreak.So far, the risk to humans remains low, officials said, but scientists are wary that the virus could change to spread more easily among people.The virus, known as Type A H5N1, has been detected in nearly three dozen dairy herds in eight states. Inactive viral remnants have been found in grocery store milk. Tests also show the virus is spreading between cows, including those that don’t show symptoms, and between cows and birds, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.Starting Monday, hundreds of thousands of lactating dairy cows in the U.S. will have to be tested — with negative results — before they can be moved between states, under terms of a new federal order.Here’s what you need to know about the ongoing bird flu investigation:WHY IS THIS OUTBREAK SO UNUSUAL?This strain of what’s known as highly pathogenic avian influenza has been circulating in wild birds for decades. In recent years, it has been detected in scores of mammals around the world. Most have been wild animals, such as foxes and bears, that ate sick or dying birds. But it’s also appeared in farmed minks. It’s shown up in aquatic mammals, such as harbor seals and porpoises, too. The virus was even found in a polar bear in northern Alaska.The virus was discovered in ruminants — goats and then dairy cows — in the U.S. this spring, surprising many scientists who have studied it for years.“When we think of influenza A, cows are not typically in that conversation,” said Richard Webby, an influenza expert at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.Flu viruses are notorious for adapting to spread among new species, so detection in dairy cows raises concerns it could spread to people, Webby said.HOW LONG HAS BIRD FLU BEEN SPREADING IN COWS?Scientists confirmed the virus in cows in March after weeks of reports from dairy farms that the animals were falling ill. Symptoms included lethargy, sharply reduced milk supply and changes to the milk, which became thick and yellow.Finding remnants of the virus in milk on the market “suggests that this has been going on longer, and is more widespread, than we have previously recognized,” said Matthew Aliota, a veterinary medicine researcher at the University of Minnesota.Under pressure from scientists, USDA officials released new genetic data about the outbreak this week.The data omitted some information about when and where samples were collected, but showed that the virus likely was spread by birds to cattle late last year, said Michael Worobey, an evolutionary biologist with the University of Arizona.Since then, it has spread among cattle and among farms, likely through contact with physical objects such as workers’ shoes, trucks or milking machines, Worobey said.And then the cows spread the virus back to birds, he said.“The genetic evidence is as clear as could be,” Worobey said. “Birds that are sampled on these farms have viruses with clear mammalian adaptations.”WHAT DO SCIENTISTS SAY ABOUT EFFORTS TO TRACK THE OUTBREAK?Several experts said the USDA’s plans to require testing in cows are a good start.“We need to be able to do greater surveillance so that we know what’s going on,” said Thomas Friedrich, a virology professor at the University of Wisconsin’s veterinary school.Worobey said the ideal would be to screen every herd. Besides looking for active infections, agriculture officials also should be looking at whether cows have antibodies to the virus, indicating past infections, he said.”That is a really accessible and quick way to find out how widespread this is,” he said.More testing of workers exposed to infected animals is also crucial, experts said. Some farm owners and some individual workers have been reluctant to work with public health officials during the outbreak, experts have said.“Increased surveillance is essentially an early warning system,” Aliota said. “It helps to characterize the scope of the problem, but also to head off potentially adverse consequences.”HOW BIG A RISK DOES BIRD FLU POSE FOR PEOPLE?Scientists are working to analyze more samples of retail milk to confirm that pasteurization, or heat-treating, kills the H5N1 virus, said Dr. Don Prater, acting director of the FDA’s food safety center. Those results are expected soon.While the general public doesn’t need to worry about drinking pasteurized milk, experts said they should avoid raw or unpasteurized milk.Also, dairy farm workers should consider extra precautions, such as masking, hand washing and changing work clothes, Aliota said.So far, 23 people have been tested for the virus during the outbreak in dairy cows, with one person testing positive for a mild eye infection, CDC officials said. At least 44 people who were exposed to infected animals in the current outbreak are being monitored for symptoms.WHAT ARE SCIENTISTS’ CONCERNS FOR THE FUTURE?David O’Connor, a virology expert at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, likened recent bird flu developments to a tornado watch versus a warning.“There are some of the ingredients that would be necessary for there to be a threat, but we’re not there,” he said. As with a tornado watch, “you wouldn’t change anything about how you live your daily life, but you would maybe just have a bit of increased awareness that something is happening.”Worobey said this is the kind of outbreak “that we were hoping, after COVID, would not go unnoticed. But it has.”He said ambitious screening is needed “to detect things like this very quickly, and potentially nip them in the bud.”

    U.S. health and agriculture officials are ramping up testing and tracking of bird flu in dairy cows in an urgent effort to understand — and stop — the growing outbreak.

    So far, the risk to humans remains low, officials said, but scientists are wary that the virus could change to spread more easily among people.

    The virus, known as Type A H5N1, has been detected in nearly three dozen dairy herds in eight states. Inactive viral remnants have been found in grocery store milk. Tests also show the virus is spreading between cows, including those that don’t show symptoms, and between cows and birds, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

    Starting Monday, hundreds of thousands of lactating dairy cows in the U.S. will have to be tested — with negative results — before they can be moved between states, under terms of a new federal order.

    Here’s what you need to know about the ongoing bird flu investigation:

    WHY IS THIS OUTBREAK SO UNUSUAL?

    This strain of what’s known as highly pathogenic avian influenza has been circulating in wild birds for decades. In recent years, it has been detected in scores of mammals around the world. Most have been wild animals, such as foxes and bears, that ate sick or dying birds. But it’s also appeared in farmed minks. It’s shown up in aquatic mammals, such as harbor seals and porpoises, too. The virus was even found in a polar bear in northern Alaska.

    The virus was discovered in ruminants — goats and then dairy cows — in the U.S. this spring, surprising many scientists who have studied it for years.

    “When we think of influenza A, cows are not typically in that conversation,” said Richard Webby, an influenza expert at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

    Flu viruses are notorious for adapting to spread among new species, so detection in dairy cows raises concerns it could spread to people, Webby said.

    HOW LONG HAS BIRD FLU BEEN SPREADING IN COWS?

    Scientists confirmed the virus in cows in March after weeks of reports from dairy farms that the animals were falling ill. Symptoms included lethargy, sharply reduced milk supply and changes to the milk, which became thick and yellow.

    Finding remnants of the virus in milk on the market “suggests that this has been going on longer, and is more widespread, than we have previously recognized,” said Matthew Aliota, a veterinary medicine researcher at the University of Minnesota.

    Under pressure from scientists, USDA officials released new genetic data about the outbreak this week.

    The data omitted some information about when and where samples were collected, but showed that the virus likely was spread by birds to cattle late last year, said Michael Worobey, an evolutionary biologist with the University of Arizona.

    Since then, it has spread among cattle and among farms, likely through contact with physical objects such as workers’ shoes, trucks or milking machines, Worobey said.

    And then the cows spread the virus back to birds, he said.

    “The genetic evidence is as clear as could be,” Worobey said. “Birds that are sampled on these farms have viruses with clear mammalian adaptations.”

    WHAT DO SCIENTISTS SAY ABOUT EFFORTS TO TRACK THE OUTBREAK?

    Several experts said the USDA’s plans to require testing in cows are a good start.

    “We need to be able to do greater surveillance so that we know what’s going on,” said Thomas Friedrich, a virology professor at the University of Wisconsin’s veterinary school.

    Worobey said the ideal would be to screen every herd. Besides looking for active infections, agriculture officials also should be looking at whether cows have antibodies to the virus, indicating past infections, he said.

    “That is a really accessible and quick way to find out how widespread this is,” he said.

    More testing of workers exposed to infected animals is also crucial, experts said. Some farm owners and some individual workers have been reluctant to work with public health officials during the outbreak, experts have said.

    “Increased surveillance is essentially an early warning system,” Aliota said. “It helps to characterize the scope of the problem, but also to head off potentially adverse consequences.”

    HOW BIG A RISK DOES BIRD FLU POSE FOR PEOPLE?

    Scientists are working to analyze more samples of retail milk to confirm that pasteurization, or heat-treating, kills the H5N1 virus, said Dr. Don Prater, acting director of the FDA’s food safety center. Those results are expected soon.

    While the general public doesn’t need to worry about drinking pasteurized milk, experts said they should avoid raw or unpasteurized milk.

    Also, dairy farm workers should consider extra precautions, such as masking, hand washing and changing work clothes, Aliota said.

    So far, 23 people have been tested for the virus during the outbreak in dairy cows, with one person testing positive for a mild eye infection, CDC officials said. At least 44 people who were exposed to infected animals in the current outbreak are being monitored for symptoms.

    WHAT ARE SCIENTISTS’ CONCERNS FOR THE FUTURE?

    David O’Connor, a virology expert at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, likened recent bird flu developments to a tornado watch versus a warning.

    “There are some of the ingredients that would be necessary for there to be a threat, but we’re not there,” he said. As with a tornado watch, “you wouldn’t change anything about how you live your daily life, but you would maybe just have a bit of increased awareness that something is happening.”

    Worobey said this is the kind of outbreak “that we were hoping, after COVID, would not go unnoticed. But it has.”

    He said ambitious screening is needed “to detect things like this very quickly, and potentially nip them in the bud.”

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  • Avian flu is crippling California poultry farms. Will there be a surge in pricing?

    Avian flu is crippling California poultry farms. Will there be a surge in pricing?

    December should have been the most profitable month of the year for Liberty Ducks, a poultry farm in Sonoma County. Instead, the 31-year-old business was suddenly face to face with a possible shutdown.

    “There was never going to be a good time for this to hit, but during the holidays was especially hard,” said Jennifer Reichardt of Liberty Ducks. The farm, she said, has been “crippled” by the outbreak.

    In December, the farm was one of nine locations in Sonoma County infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza, also known as bird flu. As a result, poultry farmers in the county have been forced to destroy more than 1 million birds while trying to quarantine their flocks to curb the outbreak.

    The outbreak has been ongoing since 2022, but its sudden surge in December has meant restaurants in the winery-rich region are seeing their supplies of poultry dwindle. Experts warn this may only be the beginning of a bird flu spike in California .

    “Restaurants are looking for product,” said Bill Mattos, president of the California Poultry Federation.

    The lingering disease has yet to affect prices or supply across the state as a whole, Mattos said, given the poultry available from other counties and outside the state. But restaurants, stores and wholesalers who prefer to use local sources are seeing their supply dwindle.

    “Everyone is looking to see what they can do to prevent it even more,” Mattos said.

    Liberty Ducks supplies Bay Area restaurants and more than 200 wholesalers. But because the company’s locations are under quarantine, the farm can’t start new production, Reichardt said.

    “Our business will be at a standstill for at least two months until the quarantine is lifted or we find other locations,” she said.

    Poultry companies have been feeling the effects of the avian flu since February 2022, when the U.S. Department of Agriculture first detected the virus in commercial and backyard flocks.

    Since then, more than 79 million birds across the U.S have been affected in 47 states. In California, the virus has affected 37 commercial and 22 backyard flocks, totaling 5.4 million birds, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

    Since the outbreak began, the avian pandemic has not gone by unnoticed by consumers either.

    Last year, the outbreak helped make egg prices skyrocket across the country. According to the USDA, prices in California for a dozen large eggs jumped to $7.37 in January 2023, up from $2.35 the year before. The USDA said that while demand for eggs was surging in December 2022, the avian flu was cutting the supply; in the last week of that month, there were about 29% fewer eggs than at the beginning of 2022.

    A higher incidence of the highly pathogenic avian influenza is common during this time of year because of the migratory patterns of wild birds, which carry the virus as they fly from the Arctic to California, said Dr. Maurice Pitesky, associate professor at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine whose research focuses on the disease.

    Unfortunately, the same climate and geography that makes poultry farming popular in some areas is what draws in wild birds like ducks and geese, carrying the flu with them into the state. The virus can pass from one animal to another through saliva, mucus or feces.

    “Wildlife can bring this virus into their farms because the virus is so infectious,” Pitesky said.

    Farmers have tried to keep their flocks safe through bio-security practices, such requiring clean footwear before workers enter a farm to keep feces from contaminating the area under the shoes, Mattos said. Several big farms also try to reduce risk by prohibiting their workers from owning backyard flocks.

    This past month, however, poultry farmers in Northern California have been particularly hit by the virus.

    “I’m not sure if it’s a more virulent strain or what,” Mattos said. “The industry expects it to come and show up, we just didn’t expect it to be in big numbers.”

    According to the USDA, 11 flocks in California have tested positive for the virus in the past 30 days, affecting more than 3.3 million birds.

    In Sonoma County, the effect has been significant.

    Nine poultry in sites in southern Sonoma County have been infected with the virus, requiring more than a million birds to be euthanized to prevent further spread, according to the county.

    On Dec. 5, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors declared a local emergency because of the disease. Flocks that have been infected have been put in quarantine, and county officials are hoping to curb the spread of the virus.

    The flu’s effect in the county and region is still unclear, but officials are concerned that the consequences could ripple through affected farms, workers, restaurants and markets that rely on the farms’ eggs, meat and jobs.

    A spokesperson for Sonoma County said officials have not yet done an economic impact study, but are focusing resources on containing the outbreak.

    According to the California Department of Food and Agriculture, five California counties — Fresno, Marin, Merced, San Joaquin and Sonoma — have active avian flu infections.

    The flu could be especially damaging to businesses like Liberty Ducks that are still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.

    “After COVID, we were already in such a tight financial space, this really could have been the final blow,” said Reichardt.

    She and her brother set up a GoFundMe campaign to keep the business afloat, and have raised more than $184,000 so far.

    “The community outreach is not only letting us continue on and help with cash flow, but also mentally gives us such a lift to fight on,” Reichardt said.

    Some farms can also apply for federal compensation for the value of lost birds, but Mattos said it is not enough to cover what farmers could have made from their flocks.

    For now, farmers and backyard flock owners are being urged to take precautions and keep their birds isolated from exposure.

    And depending on this year’s rains, poultry farmers may be seeing just the first effects of the outbreak this year, Pitesky warned.

    “If it’s a wet year, unfortunately, [wild birds] will probably stay here until April and May,” he said. “Most likely, they’ll be dealing with this for several more months.”

    Salvador Hernandez

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  • Ohio Egg Farm Slaughters 1.35 Million Chickens Over Bird Flu

    Ohio Egg Farm Slaughters 1.35 Million Chickens Over Bird Flu

    More than 8 million birds have been killed this year in efforts to prevent the spread of avian influenza.

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  • Immigration experts on Title 42, analysis of immigration policies, and other migrant news in the Immigration Channel

    Immigration experts on Title 42, analysis of immigration policies, and other migrant news in the Immigration Channel

    Title 42, the United States pandemic rule that had been used to immediately deport hundreds of thousands of migrants who crossed the border illegally over the last three years, has expired. Those migrants will have the opportunity to apply for asylum. President Biden’s new rules to replace Title 42 are facing legal challenges. The US Homeland Security Department announced a rule to make it extremely difficult for anyone who travels through another country, like Mexico, to qualify for asylum. Border crossings have already risen sharply, as many migrants attempted to cross before the measure expired on Thursday night. Some have said they worry about tighter controls and uncertainty ahead. Immigration is once again a major focus of the media as we examine the humanitarian, political, and public health issues migrants must face. 

    Below are some of the latest headlines in the Immigration channel on Newswise.

    Expert Commentary

    Experts Available on Ending of Title 42

    George Washington University Experts on End of Title 42

    ‘No one wins when immigrants cannot readily access healthcare’

    URI professor discusses worsening child labor in the United States

    Biden ‘between a rock and a hard place’ on immigration

    University of Notre Dame Expert Available to Comment on House Bill Regarding Immigration Legislation, Border Safety and Security Act

    American University Experts Available to Discuss President Biden’s Visit to U.S.-Mexico Border

    Title 42 termination ‘overdue’, not ‘effective’ to manage migration

    Research and Features

    Study: Survey Methodology Should Be Calibrated to Account for Negative Attitudes About Immigrants and Asylum-Seekers

    A study analyses racial discrimination in job recruitment in Europe

    DACA has not had a negative impact on the U.S. job market

    ASBMB cautions against drastic immigration fee increases

    Study compares NGO communication around migration

    Collaboration, support structures needed to address ‘polycrisis’ in the Americas

    TTUHSC El Paso Faculty Teach Students While Caring for Migrants

    Immigrants Report Declining Alcohol Use during First Two Years after Arriving in U.S.

    How asylum seeker credibility is assessed by authorities

    Speeding up and simplifying immigration claims urgently needed to help with dire situation for migrants experiencing homelessness

    Training Individuals to Work in their Communities to Reduce Health Disparities

    ‘Regulation by reputation’: Rating program can help combat migrant abuse in the Gulf

    Migration of academics: Economic development does not necessarily lead to brain drain

    How has the COVID-19 pandemic affected immigration?

    Immigrants with Darker Skin Tones Perceive More Discrimination

     

    Newswise

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  • U.S. to Test Vaccine in Poultry as Bird Flu Deaths Rise

    U.S. to Test Vaccine in Poultry as Bird Flu Deaths Rise

    Feb. 10, 2023 — The Biden administration will test a vaccine that could be given to poultry to counter the current bird flu outbreak that has killed about 58 million birds, mostly in commercial poultry flocks.

    These would be the first vaccine given to poultry to protect against avian influenza in years. Poultry are already vaccinated for diseases like infectious bronchitis, and shots have been licensed for past outbreaks.

    “The decision to proceed with vaccination is complex, and many factors must be considered before implementing a vaccination strategy,” U.S. Department of Agriculture spokesperson Mike Stepien said in a statement. Stepien said the USDA is “soliciting input from many different industry stakeholders that would be impacted.” 

    The USDA reported this week that 58 million birds, mostly in commercially raised poultry, have died in the outbreak, either from the virus or because they were put down to prevent transmission within a flock. Every state has found bird flu in wild birds, and 47 states have found it in poultry flocks, including 18 states in the last 30 days, the USDA said.

    In addition to domestic poultry, bird flu has been detected in mink in Spain, sea lions in Peru and now, in a Colorado mountain lion, black bear, and skunk, TheDenver Post reported. 

    The CDC says the current outbreak of avian influenza (HPAI A(H5)) began in January 2022. That was the first time it was detected in the U.S. since 2016. 

    The tests will help determine if the vaccines are a good match against the current strain of bird flu. Officials have been concerned that giving birds the vaccine could hurt American poultry exports. 

    “What is the trigger point of when you might use vaccination?” poultry veterinarian David Swayne, a former USDA’s official, said to CBS News. “And that’s what they’re looking at. Is it so many birds in a poultry farm in an area getting infected? Or is it a certain amount of economic loss? Or is it because a neighboring state has the virus in poultry, and you’re concerned? So there’s those are really the tough, tough questions.” 

    The bird flu outbreak is one of the causes of the increase in egg prices at the grocery store.

    A man in Colorado who tested positive for bird flu is the only human case in the current outbreak, the CDC said. He recovered. Seasonal flu shots will not prevent infection from bird flu but can cut the chances of getting sick with human and bird flu viruses at the same time, the CDC says.

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  • Experts Fear Bird Flu Outbreak Could Turn Into New Pandemic

    Experts Fear Bird Flu Outbreak Could Turn Into New Pandemic

    An ongoing outbreak of a deadly avian flu strain has already killed millions of birds, and it’s becoming an even greater cause for concern as it spills over into mammalian species.

    “This is an infection that has epidemic and pandemic potential,” Dr. Isaac Bogoch, a Toronto-based infectious disease specialist, told the CBC. “I don’t know if people recognize how big a deal this is.”

    The H5N1 avian influenza virus is not brand-new. But previously, it infected mostly birds on poultry farms. In 2020, however, gene-swapping between poultry and wild bird viruses created a “wild bird-adapted” version of the virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This made it much easier for migrating wild birds to spread the virus to each other and domestic birds in their paths.

    A rooster is held in a cage on a farm on Jan. 23, 2023, in Austin, Texas. An avian flu strain is becoming a cause for concern as it spills over into mammalian species.

    Brandon Bell via Getty Images

    Since 2022, H5N1 has led to the deaths of more than 58 million domestic birds like chickens, ducks and turkeys in the United States alone. When the deadly virus hits poultry or egg farms ― some of which have more than a million birds on the premises ― the facility typically kills the entire flock to prevent further spread.

    In the same time span, there have been nearly 6,000 cases in wild birds in the U.S.

    Scientists have also found various wild mammals infected with the virus, including bears, foxes, otters and seals. Since October 2021, there have been five confirmed human cases worldwide and one death, according to the BBC.

    Ian Brown, the U.K.’s Animal and Plant Health Agency director of scientific services, told the BBC that he was “acutely aware of the risks” of avian flu turning into a pandemic among humans.

    “This global spread is a concern,” he said. “We do need globally to look at new strategies, those international partnerships, to get on top of this disease. If we don’t solve the problem across the globe, we’re going to continue to have that risk.”

    A dead pelican, possibly infected with H5N1 avian flu is seen in Lima, Peru on Dec. 7, 2022.
    A dead pelican, possibly infected with H5N1 avian flu is seen in Lima, Peru on Dec. 7, 2022.

    Klebher Vasquez/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

    In October, a large outbreak occurred on a mink fur farm in Spain. Researchers who described the outbreak in a paper published last month believe that wild birds initially transmitted H5N1 to the mink farm, but once there, it spread from mink to mink.

    “This outbreak signals the very real potential for the emergence of mammal-to-mammal transmission,” Michelle Wille, a wild bird virus researcher at the University of Sydney, told the CBC.

    None of the workers, who wore protective gear, at the farm seem to have gotten infected. But some scientists worry that minks could be a kind of stepping stone for the virus to make a jump to humans.

    “This is incredibly concerning,” Tom Peacock, a virologist at Imperial College London, told Science Magazine. “This is a clear mechanism for an H5 pandemic to start.”

    Journalist Zeynep Tufekci, who has extensively covered the COVID-19 pandemic, wrote in a New York Times opinion piece published this week titled “An Even Deadlier Pandemic Could Soon Be Here.” She also spoke to Peacock, who noted that minks’ respiratory systems make them particularly good host species for viruses that can infect humans.

    In her op-ed, Tufekci calls for a slew of cautionary measures, including expanding testing capabilities and ramping up vaccine development and production. She also calls for mink farms to be shut down ― something some countries have already done due to a combination of animal cruelty concerns and the fact that the farms were also hotbeds for COVID-19.

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  • Get Used to Expensive Eggs

    Get Used to Expensive Eggs

    Over the past week, my breakfast routine has been scrambled. I have had overnight oats, beans on sourdough, corned-beef hash and fried rice, and, on a particularly weird morning, leftover cream-of-broccoli soup. Under normal circumstances, I would be eating eggs. But right now, I’m in hoarding mode, jealously guarding the four that remain from a carton purchased indignantly for six dollars. For that price—50 damn cents each!—my daily sunny-side-up eggs will have to wait. The perfect moment beckons: Maybe a toasted slab of brioche will call for a luxurious soft scramble, or maybe I will cave to a powerful craving for an egg-salad sandwich.

    Eggs, that quintessential cheap food, have gotten very, very expensive in the United States. In December, the average price for a dozen eggs in U.S. cities hit an all-time high of $4.25, up from $1.78 a year earlier. Though the worst now seems to be behind us, there’s still a way to go before consumer prices hit reasonable levels, and now Americans are starting to crack. Online, the shortage has recently hatched endless memes: In some posts, people pretend to portion out eggs in plastic baggies, like drug dealers (Pablo Eggscobar, anyone?); another recurring bit suggests painting potatoes to hunt at Easter. The high prices have even led to egg smuggling, and raised the profile of “rent-a-chicken” services where customers can borrow hens, chicken feed, and a coop for a couple hundred bucks.

    Surging egg prices are partly a familiar story of pandemic-era inflation. Producing eggs costs more because fuel, transportation, feed, and packaging are more expensive now, Jada Thompson, an agricultural economist at the University of Arkansas, told me. And it doesn’t help that there are no great substitutes for eggs. But a big reason that prices are so high right now is because of the avian flu—a virus that infects many types of birds and is deadly for some. Right now, we’re facing the worst-ever wave in the U.S., which has decimated chicken flocks and dented America’s egg inventory. Just over the past year, more than 57 million birds have died from the flu. Some much-needed relief from sky-high egg prices is likely coming, but don’t break out the soufflé pans yet. All signs suggest that avian flu is here to stay. If such rampant spread of the virus continues, “these costs are not going to come down to pre-2022 levels,” Thompson told me. Cheap eggs may soon become a thing of the past.

    This isn’t the first time American egg producers have encountered the avian flu, but dealing with it is still a challenge. For one thing, the virus keeps changing. It has long infected but not killed waterfowl and shorebirds, such as ducks and geese, but by 1996, it had mutated into the “highly pathogenic” H5N1, a poultry-killing strain that is named for the nasty versions of its “H” and “N” proteins. (They form spikes on the virus’s surface—sound familiar?) In 2014 and 2015, H5N1 ignited a terrible outbreak of avian flu, which gave U.S. poultry farmers their first taste of just how bad egg shortages could get.

    But this outbreak is like nothing we’ve seen before. The strain of avian flu that’s behind this wave is indeed new, and in the U.S. the virus has been circulating for a full year now—far longer than during the last big outbreak. The virus has become “host-adapted,” meaning that it can infect its natural hosts without killing them, so wild waterfowl are ruthlessly efficient at spreading the virus to chickens, Richard Webby, the director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Studies on the Ecology of Influenza in Animals and Birds, told me.

    Many of these wild birds are migratory, and during their long journeys between Canada and South America, they descend on waterways and poop virus from the sky over poultry farms. Chickens stand no chance: The fleshy flaps on their heads may turn blue, their eyes and neck may swell, and, in rare instances, paralysis occurs. An entire poultry flock can be wiped out in 48 hours. Death is swift and vicious.

    Everything about this current wave has aligned to put a serious dent in our egg supply. Most eggs in the United States are hatched in jam-packed industrial egg farms, where transmission is next to impossible to stop, so the go-to move when the flu is detected is to “depopulate,” the preferred industry term for killing all of the birds. Without such a brutal tactic, Bryan Richards, the emerging-disease coordinator at the U.S. Geological Survey, told me, the current wave would be much worse.

    But this strategy also means fewer eggs, at least until new chicks grow into hens. That takes about six months, so there just haven’t been enough hens lately—especially for all the holiday baking people wanted to do, Thompson said. By the end of 2022, U.S. egg inventory was 29 percent lower than it had been at the beginning of the year. The chicken supply, in contrast, is robust because avian flu tends to affect older birds, like egg layers, Thompson said; at six to eight weeks old, the birds we eat, known as broilers, are not as susceptible. Also, she added, wild-bird migration pathways are not as concentrated in the Southeast, where most broiler production happens.

    Egg eaters should be able to return to their normal breakfast routines soon enough. New hens are now replenishing the U.S. egg supply—while waterfowl are wintering in the warmer climes of South America rather than lingering in the U.S. Since the holidays, “the price paid to the farmers for eggs has been decreasing rapidly, and usually, in time, the consumer price follows,” Maro Ibarburu, a business analyst at Iowa State University’s Egg Industry Center, told me.

    Still, going forward, it may be worth rethinking our relationship with eggs. There’s no guarantee that eggs will go back to being one the cheapest and most nutritious foods. When the weather warms, the birds will return, and “it’s highly likely that upon spring migration, we could see yet another wave,” said Richards. Europe, which experienced the H5N1 wave about six months before the Americas did, offers a glimpse of the future. “They went from being in a situation where the virus would come and go to a position where essentially it came and stayed,” Webby told me. If we’re lucky, though, birds will develop natural immunity to the virus, making it harder to spread, or the U.S. could start vaccinating poultry against the flu, which the country has so far been reluctant to do.

    Omelets aside, curbing the spread of avian flu is in our best interest, not just to help prevent $6 egg cartons, but also to avoid a much scarier possibility—the virus spilling over and infecting people. All viruses from the influenza-A family have an avian origin, noted Webby; a chilling example is the H1N1 strain behind the 1918 flu pandemic. Fortunately, though some people have been infected with H5N1, very few cases of human-to-human spread have been documented. But continued transmission, over a long enough period, could change that. The fact that the virus has recently jumped from birds into mammals, such as seals and bears, and has spread among mink, is troubling because that means that it is evolving to infect species that are more closely related to us. “The risk of this particular virus [spreading among humans] as it is now is low, but the consequences are potentially high,” said Webby. “If there is a flu virus that I don’t want to catch, this one would be it.”

    More than anything, the egg shortage is a reminder that the availability of food is not something we can take for granted going forward. Shortages of staple goods seem to be striking with more regularity, not only due to pandemic-related broken supply chains and inflation but also to animal and plant disease. In 2019, swine fever decimated China’s pork supply; the ongoing lettuce shortage, which rapper Cardi B bemoaned earlier this month, is due to both a plant virus and a soil disease. Last September, California citrus growers detected a virus known to reduce crop yields. By creating cozier conditions for some diseases, climate change is expected to raise risk of infection for both animals and plants. And as COVID has illustrated, any situation in which different species are forced into abnormally close quarters with one another is likely to encourage the spread of disease.

    Getting used to intermittent shortages of staple foods such as eggs and lettuce will in all likelihood become a normal part of meal planning, barring some sort of huge shift away from industrial farming and its propensity for fostering disease. These farms are a major reason that these foods are so inexpensive and widely available in the first place; if cheap eggs seemed too good to be true, it’s because they were. Besides, there are always alternatives: May I suggest cream-of-broccoli soup?

    Yasmin Tayag

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  • Widespread bird flu, production issues cause egg prices to soar nationwide

    Widespread bird flu, production issues cause egg prices to soar nationwide

    Widespread bird flu, production issues cause egg prices to soar nationwide – CBS News


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    Regional egg shortages across the country are leading to higher egg prices while leaving many store shelves empty. Experts blame production issues, but also widespread bird flu nationwide, which they describe as endemic, meaning the problem will not be over soon. Carter Evans reports.

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  • Egg prices have soared 60% in a year. Here’s why.

    Egg prices have soared 60% in a year. Here’s why.

    Inflation eases, but costs of eggs, other groceries still up


    Inflation eases, but costs of eggs, other groceries still up

    00:29

    The rising cost of eggs in the U.S. is denting household budgets. Americans in recent years have increased the number of eggs they consume while reducing their intake of beef and venison, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

    Egg consumption has grown in part because more families are eating them as their main protein substitute, Los Angeles Times reporter Sonja Sharp told CBS News. “Each of us eats about as many eggs as one hen can lay a year,” she said. 

    As demand for eggs has risen, production in the U.S. has slumped because of the ongoing bird, or “avian,” flu epidemic. Nearly 58 million birds have been infected with avian flu as of January 6, the USDA said, making it the deadliest outbreak in U.S. history. Infected birds must be slaughtered, causing egg supplies to fall and prices to surge.

    Egg prices in December rose 60% from a year earlier, according to Consumer Price Index data released Thursday. Across U.S cities, the average price for a dozen large grade A eggs was $4.25 last month, according to figures from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. 

    In some states, it can even be hard to find eggs on the shelves. But egg supplies overall are holding up because the total flock of egg-laying hens is only down about 5% from from its normal size of around 320 million hens. Farmers have been working to replace their flocks as soon as they can after an outbreak.

    Sharp said prices will likely not fall again until after new chickens are born without the infection and grow to egg-laying age. More than 300 flocks of farm-raised poultry have been hit by the outbreak as of last Friday, according to USDA data. 

    In New York, grocery store owner Jose Filipe said that soaring egg costs have caused many customers to change their spending habits.

    “I’ve seen customers gravitate from buying organic eggs now to more conventional eggs, and specifically now, the half dozen. Prices have quadrupled in about six or seven months,” he recently told CBS New York’s Jenna DeAngelis.

    What is avian flu?

    Bird flu is carried by free-flying waterfowl, such as ducks, geese and shorebirds, and infects chickens, turkeys, pheasants, quail, domestic ducks, geese and guinea fowl. In another major recent epidemic of the disease, it killed more than 50 million chickens and turkeys in 2014 and 2015, while causing economic losses of $3.3 billion, the USDA estimates. The agency is now researching a potential vaccine against the bird flu.

    Fortunately, the public health risk related to bird flu remains low, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Still, cooking all poultry and eggs to an internal temperature of 165 ˚F is advised as a general food safety rule.

    The cost of processed eggs — used in liquid or powdered form in manufactured products including salad dressing, cake mix and chips — has also surged, adding to inflationary pressures. 

    Inflation cooling

    The Consumer Price Index — a closely watched inflation gauge — rose 6.5% in December from the previous year. That was the smallest annual increase since October 2021, the Labor Department reported Thursday and continues the steady decline in price increases since they peaked at 9% in June of last year. Falling prices for energy, commodities and used cars offset increases in food and shelter.

    But if eggs remain pricey, Chicago resident Kelly Fischer said she will start thinking more seriously about building a backyard chicken coop because everyone in her family eats eggs.

    “We (with neighbors) are contemplating building a chicken coop behind our houses, so eventually I hope not to buy them and have my own eggs and I think the cost comes into that somewhat,” the 46-year-old public school teacher said while shopping at HarvesTime Foods on the city’s North Side. “For me, it’s more of the environmental impact and trying to purchase locally.”

    Eggs are just one of a number of food staples that skyrocketed in price in 2022. For example, margarine costs in December surged 44% from a year ago, while butter rose 31%, according to the CPI data.

    —The Associated Press contributed to this report

    Khristopher J. Brooks

    Khristopher J. Brooks is a reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering business, consumer and financial stories that range from economic inequality and housing issues to bankruptcies and the business of sports.

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  • Egg prices have more than tripled in some states over the last year. Here’s why.

    Egg prices have more than tripled in some states over the last year. Here’s why.

    The rising cost of eggs in the U.S. is denting household budgets. Americans in recent years have increased the number of eggs they consume while reducing their intake of beef and venison, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

    Egg consumption has grown in part because more families are eating them as their main protein substitute, Los Angeles Times reporter Sonja Sharp told CBS News. “Each of us eats about as many eggs as one hen can lay a year,” she said. 

    As demand for eggs has risen, production in the U.S. has slumped because of the ongoing bird, or “avian,” flu epidemic. Nearly 58 million birds have been infected with avian flu as of January 6, the USDA said, making it the deadliest outbreak in U.S. history. Infected birds must be slaughtered, causing egg supplies to fall and prices to surge.

    Families and restaurants alike are now paying elevated prices for eggs as the outbreak impacts 47 states. 

    In California, for example, data shows the average price for a dozen eggs reached $7.37 last week, compared with $2.35 a year ago. The national average egg price per dozen wholesale is now $3.30, the USDA said last week. The average price for a dozen eggs by U.S. city grew to a record $3.58 in November, according to the most recent data available from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. 

    In some places, it can even be hard to find eggs on the shelves. But egg supplies overall are holding up because the total flock of egg-laying hens is only down about 5% from from its normal size of around 320 million hens. Farmers have been working to replace their flocks as soon as they can after an outbreak.

    Sharp said prices will likely not fall again until after new chickens are born without the infection and grow to egg-laying age. More than 300 flocks of farm-raised poultry have been hit by the outbreak as of last Friday, according to USDA data. 

    In New York, grocery store owner Jose Filipe said that soaring egg costs have caused many customers to change their spending habits.

    “I’ve seen customers gravitate from buying organic eggs now to more conventional eggs, and specifically now, the half dozen. Prices have quadrupled in about six or seven months,” he recently told CBS New York’s Jenna DeAngelis.

    What is avian flu?

    Bird flu is carried by free-flying waterfowl, such as ducks, geese and shorebirds, and infects chickens, turkeys, pheasants, quail, domestic ducks, geese and guinea fowl. In another major recent epidemic of the disease, it killed more than 50 million chickens and turkeys in 2014 and 2015, while causing economic losses of $3.3 billion, the USDA estimates. The agency is now researching a potential vaccine against the bird flu.

    Fortunately, the public health risk related to bird flu remains low, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Still, cooking all poultry and eggs to an internal temperature of 165 ˚F is advised as a general food safety rule.

    The cost of processed eggs — used in liquid or powdered form in manufactured products including salad dressing, cake mix and chips — has also surged, adding to inflationary pressures. 

    The Consumer Price Index — a closely watched inflation gauge — rose 7.1% in December from the previous year. Falling prices for energy, commodities and used cars offset increases in food and shelter.

    Even with the cost increases, however, eggs remain relatively cheap compared to the price of other proteins like chicken or beef, with a pound of chicken breasts going for $4.42 on average in November and a pound of ground beef selling for $4.85, according to government data.

    But if egg prices remain elevated, Chicago resident Kelly Fischer said she will start thinking more seriously about building a backyard chicken coop because everyone in her family eats eggs.
     
    “We (with neighbors) are contemplating building a chicken coop behind our houses, so eventually I hope not to buy them and have my own eggs and I think the cost comes into that somewhat,” the 46-year-old public school teacher said while shopping at HarvesTime Foods on the city’s North Side. “For me, it’s more of the environmental impact and trying to purchase locally.”

    Eggs are just one of a tiny list of food staples that skyrocketed in prices in 2022. Margarine prices grew 47% between November 2021 and November 2022, according to the most recent Consumer Price Index data available. Butter prices rose as well, from $3.47 a pound in November 2021 to $4.63 per pound in November 2022, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. 

    —The Associated Press contributed to this report

    Khristopher J. Brooks

    Khristopher J. Brooks is a reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering business, consumer and financial stories that range from economic inequality and housing issues to bankruptcies and the business of sports.

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  • Egg prices have more than tripled in some states over the last year. Here’s why.

    Egg prices have more than tripled in some states over the last year. Here’s why.

    The rising cost of eggs in the U.S. is denting household budgets. Americans in recent years have increased the number of eggs they consume while reducing their intake of beef and venison, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

    Egg consumption has grown in part because more families are eating them as their main protein substitute, Los Angeles Times reporter Sonja Sharp told CBS News. “Each of us eats about as many eggs as one hen can lay a year,” she said. 

    As demand for eggs has risen, production in the U.S. has slumped because of the ongoing bird, or “avian,” flu epidemic. Nearly 58 million birds have been infected with avian flu as of January 6, the USDA said, making it the deadliest outbreak in U.S. history. Infected birds must be slaughtered, causing egg supplies to fall and prices to surge.

    Families and restaurants alike are now paying elevated prices for eggs as the outbreak impacts 47 states. 

    In California, for example, data shows the average price for a dozen eggs reached $7.37 last week, compared with $2.35 a year ago. The national average egg price per dozen wholesale is now $3.30, the USDA said last week. The average price for a dozen eggs by U.S. city grew to a record $3.58 in November, according to the most recent data available from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. 

    In some places, it can even be hard to find eggs on the shelves. But egg supplies overall are holding up because the total flock of egg-laying hens is only down about 5% from from its normal size of around 320 million hens. Farmers have been working to replace their flocks as soon as they can after an outbreak.

    Sharp said prices will likely not fall again until after new chickens are born without the infection and grow to egg-laying age. More than 300 flocks of farm-raised poultry have been hit by the outbreak as of last Friday, according to USDA data. 

    In New York, grocery store owner Jose Filipe said that soaring egg costs have caused many customers to change their spending habits.

    “I’ve seen customers gravitate from buying organic eggs now to more conventional eggs, and specifically now, the half dozen. Prices have quadrupled in about six or seven months,” he recently told CBS New York’s Jenna DeAngelis.

    What is avian flu?

    Bird flu is carried by free-flying waterfowl, such as ducks, geese and shorebirds, and infects chickens, turkeys, pheasants, quail, domestic ducks, geese and guinea fowl. In another major recent epidemic of the disease, it killed more than 50 million chickens and turkeys in 2014 and 2015, while causing economic losses of $3.3 billion, the USDA estimates. The agency is now researching a potential vaccine against the bird flu.

    Fortunately, the public health risk related to bird flu remains low, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Still, cooking all poultry and eggs to an internal temperature of 165 ˚F is advised as a general food safety rule.

    The cost of processed eggs — used in liquid or powdered form in manufactured products including salad dressing, cake mix and chips — has also surged, adding to inflationary pressures. 

    The Consumer Price Index — a closely watched inflation gauge — rose 7.1% in December from the previous year. Falling prices for energy, commodities and used cars offset increases in food and shelter.

    Even with the cost increases, however, eggs remain relatively cheap compared to the price of other proteins like chicken or beef, with a pound of chicken breasts going for $4.42 on average in November and a pound of ground beef selling for $4.85, according to government data.

    But if egg prices remain elevated, Chicago resident Kelly Fischer said she will start thinking more seriously about building a backyard chicken coop because everyone in her family eats eggs.
     
    “We (with neighbors) are contemplating building a chicken coop behind our houses, so eventually I hope not to buy them and have my own eggs and I think the cost comes into that somewhat,” the 46-year-old public school teacher said while shopping at HarvesTime Foods on the city’s North Side. “For me, it’s more of the environmental impact and trying to purchase locally.”

    Eggs are just one of a tiny list of food staples that skyrocketed in prices in 2022. Margarine prices grew 47% between November 2021 and November 2022, according to the most recent Consumer Price Index data available. Butter prices rose as well, from $3.47 a pound in November 2021 to $4.63 per pound in November 2022, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. 

    —The Associated Press contributed to this report

    Khristopher J. Brooks

    Khristopher J. Brooks is a reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering business, consumer and financial stories that range from economic inequality and housing issues to bankruptcies and the business of sports.

    Source link

  • Cost of groceries, avian flu are driving up prices for turkeys this holiday season | Long Island Business News

    Cost of groceries, avian flu are driving up prices for turkeys this holiday season | Long Island Business News

    Food prices are up, and that means the cost of Thanksgiving dinner is up too.

    Consumers may see an increase of 12.8% to serve up a Thanksgiving meal for 10, according to Island Harvest Food Bank in Melville.

    After navigating supply-chain shortages and rising prices, this year there is an additional challenge:  the recent outbreak of avian flu. The outbreak could send turkey prices up to 73% a pound, experts say.

    Nationally more than 47.7 million birds have been affected by avian flu in 43 states that includes 251 commercial flocks and 328 backyard flocks, U.S. Department of Agriculture figures show.

    Now, Island Harvest’s annual turkey and trimmings collection campaign is underway across Long Island at supermarkets, schools, places of worship and more through Dec. 30.

    “Long Islanders have always stepped up to help their neighbors in need,” Randi Shubin Dresner, Island Harvest’s president and CEO said in a statement. “

    We understand that so many families are struggling to make ends meet, so we are grateful for any donation they can afford so that we can help the most vulnerable among us can share the warmth and joy of a traditional holiday-style meal with their loved ones,” she added.

    This year, for Long Islanders coping with food insecurity around holiday time, there is demand for as many as 18,500 turkeys and tens of thousands of pounds of trimmings. That’s up from 16,891 turkeys from last year, according to Island Harvest.

    And it’s not just the increased cost of turkey triggering challenges around holiday budgets.  The cost of bread is now up by 16.2%, eggs by 39.8%, milk by 17% and fruits and vegetables by 9.4%, according to published reports.

    All of this contributes to prices that have crept up since the pandemic. In 2020, for example, the price of Thanksgiving dinner for ten people cost $46.90. In 2021, those costs jumped to $53.31. And in 2022, that same holiday dinner is expected to cost around $61.

    The items needed include a frozen turkey or chicken, ham, nonperishable products like stuffing, canned yams, cranberry sauce, and other canned goods. In addition, personal care items like soap, shampoo, deodorant and so on are also welcome. Supermarket gift cards and monetary contributions are also accepted.

    The Associated Press contributed to this report.

    Adina Genn

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