WISCONSIN — With cases of bird flu in milk climbing, the USDA has rolled out new testing requirements for raw or unpasteurized milk across the country. That has left many consumers wondering what it all means for their milk supply at home.

"We've been dealing with this outbreak now for nine months," Dr. Keith Poulsen, the director of the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said. "Anything out there, even in affected dairies, there's really no reason to not market that [traditionally pasteurized] milk because pasteurization — it's 100 years old in 2024 and we have it for a reason — it's a great public health safety net."

While Poulsen said consumers shouldn't be concerned by the safety of pasteurized milk or products made with it, the climbing bird flu cases are another sign that people should be weary of drinking raw or unpasteurized milk.

"For raw products, we just don't know enough about whether that virus can affect people," Poulsen said. "We don't have any evidence that it does so already, but it's pretty early in our investigation into the outbreaks so, for raw milk in general... It's really not a good idea for retail consumption."

Watch the full interview above.