By Ryan Hanrahan
Civil Eats’ Meg Wilcox reported that “as the holidays approach, bird flu is once again sweeping through commercial and backyard poultry flocks, infecting and killing more than 8.9 million turkeys, chickens, and ducks in the U.S. since September.”
“Consumers, however, are unlikely to feel a price squeeze this holiday season,” Wilcox reported. “A 50-state survey by the American Farm Bureau found retail prices for frozen turkey down by 16 percent in comparison to last year even though wholesale prices are up 40 percent, because retailers often sell turkeys as loss leaders. And turkeys will remain safe to eat as long as they are properly cooked.”
“Meanwhile, infectious disease researchers are increasingly concerned about the rapid evolution of the virus,” Wilcox reported. “There is much they still don’t understand about this strain of bird flu, a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) often referred to as H5N1 for its dominant subtype, which has been circulating globally in wild birds since the early 2000s. But since it first spilled over into commercial poultry flocks in the U.S. in early 2022, the virus has made startling and alarming advances.”