Bird Flu’s New Threat: What It Means for Your Milk

Remember last year when egg prices were through the roof, up by 70%. You’d pay $5, $6 even $7 per dozen?!

My boyfriend is a big believer in a hearty breakfast, so I vividly recall these prices. We had to make some changes to our repertoire of the day’s most important meal.

The reason?

Bird flu was running rampant through U.S. poultry farms.

No doubt, steep egg prices are super annoying, but things are only getting worse in 2024. The current version of the bird flu virus is reaching new places and new species including dairy cows.

Let’s recap…

Bird flu isn’t new. It’s caused periodic outbreaks since the 1960s.

Wild birds serve as the reservoir for the virus and spread it as they migrate. They leave the virus behind wherever they poop or even eat, which is how poultry farms get infected.

Just like the human flu virus, bird flu is known for shape shifting and exchanging genes — this is where I get worried.

In 2020, a new version of avian flu emerged, distinct from the previous…