On March 26, 2022, the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced the presence of the “highly pathogenic avian influenza” (HPAI) has now been identified and confirmed in two turkey flocks in Minnesota. As explained in a press release, one is a commercial turkey flock intended for sale by the Jennie-O Turkey Store company, a subsidiary of the Hormel Foods Company. The other is a backyard flock. Although the latter is not meant for commercial distribution, the existence of the avian flu virus in any bird is significant at this point in time. And by that, we mean that the past several months have seen confirmed cases in both wild and domestic birds across the U.S., according to APHIS. This may well spell trouble for the poultry industry. The avian flu could even impact the availability of eggs.
“While bird flu viruses do not normally infect humans,” according to the CDC, “sporadic human infections with bird flu viruses have occurred.” Like COVID-19, avian flu is not foodborne. And the avian flu uncovered in Jennie-O’s commercial supply in Minnesota (as well as that discovered in the backyard flock) is being dealt with accordingly. This includes “depopulating” the affected flocks and keeping them away from the food supply chain (via APHIS).
