USDA testing ground beef for bird flu

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has started testing beef for the presence of avian influenza in states where the virus was detected in dairy cows.Samples of ground beef are being collected at retail outlets after the H5N1 flu virus has been identified in nine U.S. states since the first case was found last month, the USDA said in an emailed statement April 29.In addition, it’s conducting a cooking test to log the presence of the virus when meat is prepared at different temperatures.The