California
Bird flu spreads to California’s dairy cows
![Bird flu spreads to California’s dairy cows Bird flu spreads to California’s dairy cows](https://www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/US-NEWS-HEALTH-BIRDFLU-QA-GET.jpg?w=1024&h=695)
A form of avian influenza that is highly fatal in birds has been confirmed in California dairy cattle, the state’s Department of Food and Agriculture announced on Friday afternoon.
No human cases have been confirmed and the virus, an influenza subtype known as H5N1, is not considered a significant public health threat, according to state health officials. At this stage, there is no concern about the safety of the commercial milk or food supply, they said.
But doctors are monitoring the farm workers who may be exposed to infected animals to ensure quick isolation and care, should they sicken, said the California Department of Public Health. Officials said they would provide official confirmation of any human cases associated with this outbreak.
It is the first time that cows infected with the virus have been identified in the state. California is the 14th state in the nation to report H5N1 infection in dairy cows.
The animals, located in the Central Valley, showed signs of illness on Sunday, reported CDFA. Test results were confirmed on Friday by the nation’s veterinary testing lab. The herds have been quarantined.
“We have been preparing for this possibility since earlier this year when … detections were confirmed at dairy farms in other states,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. “Our extensive experience in poultry has given us ample preparation and expertise to address this incident, with workers’ health and public health as our top priorities.”
Other states have reported four human cases in dairy workers since April 2024: one each in Texas and Colorado, and two in Michigan. All four of those people recovered and there have been no reports of further spread among the people around them.
Until recently, California’s dairy farms seemed to have been spared from the crisis. The state’s 1.7 million dairy cows supply about 20% of the nation’s milk.
“This is a tough time for our dairy farmers given the economic challenges they’re facing in a dynamic market,” said Ross, “so I want to assure them that we are approaching this incident with the utmost urgency.”
Experts say it is crucial to gain more information about how the people were infected, and whether the virus has evolved to infect people more readily.
There is no state or federal requirement to routinely sample cows or milk. Clinical signs of flu occur in only a fraction of cases, so some experts fear that the virus may be hiding in untested animals.
State health officials recommend that personal protective equipment, or PPE — masks, gloves, caps, face shields, and safety goggles — be worn by farm workers and emergency responders when working with animals or potentially infected materials.
“I’ve been worried about this for months,” Krutika Kuppalli, medical officer for COVID-19 Health Operations at the World Health Organization, said in a social media post. “This is why we need enhanced surveillance and transparency of testing protocols.”
Over the past three years, the deadly and highly contagious virus has circled the globe, taking a staggering toll on birds in more than 80 nations.
After emerging in 2020, the virus triggered major outbreaks in Europe, Africa and Asia. It arrived in the U.S. in January 2022 and stormed through the nation’s largest concentrations of poultry farms in the East and Midwest, pushing up egg prices.
The virus has become so widespread in wild birds that it has repeatedly spread to mammals, especially species, such as foxes, that feed on infected birds.
Signs of H5N1 bird flu virus have been detected in wastewater sites in San Francisco, Palo Alto and the West County Wastewater facility in Richmond, among other sites.
But it is thought to have originated from wild bird waste in the sewer system that collects and treats both wastewater and stormwater.
The virus has already been found in wild birds and domestic poultry in the state. Last winter, it barreled through Sonoma County’s historic poultry region, forcing the slaughter of 1.1 million birds.
The source of the new cattle infections is not known. The federal government requires that lactating dairy cattle must be tested for the virus before they can be moved across state lines.
“The main reservoir of the virus are waterfowl — the ducks and geese that like the really rich habitat that California supplies,” said veterinarian Maurice Pitesky of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. Pitesky studies the spread of avian diseases.
For the most up-to-date information regarding avian influenza in livestock in California, go to the Department of Food and Agriculture’s website at www.cdfa.ca.gov/AHFSS.
Originally Published:
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California
California moves closer to banning additives found in Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, Twinkies from schools
![California moves closer to banning additives found in Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, Twinkies from schools California moves closer to banning additives found in Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, Twinkies from schools](https://assets3.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/i/r/2024/08/30/51c9d5e9-e3a8-4a97-9a6e-ed8a35c4dcd3/thumbnail/1200x630/4b8eb7fd26644cde306b90a0046e20a0/gettyimages-1498829096.jpg?v=25685eaa472b1a5dbb5bd46ae506d232)
California lawmakers have voted to ban food additives linked to behavioral issues in kids from school lunchrooms.
That means snacks like Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, Twinkies and more will no longer be allowed in school cafeterias across the state. Stores may still sell the food products, though, under the first-of-its-kind legislation, called the California School Food Safety Act.
The controversial ingredients include food dyes Blue 1, Blue 2, Green 3, Red 40, Yellow 5 And Yellow 6, which give color to snacks like Doritos, Froot Loops and Fruity Pebbles cereals and Jolly Ranchers candy. Advocates for the ban argue the additives have no nutritional value, are used solely for superficial purposes, and can cause health problems.
Red 3 has been found to cause cancer in animals and Red 40, Yellow 5 And Yellow 6, have been found to be contaminated with carcinogens like benzidine, which can increase one’s risk of developing cancer, according to a 2012 study from the National Institutes of Health.
California Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, the bill’s author, said the legislation could prompt changes in how these types of “dangerous” foods are marketed to children beyond California, and could even lead to companies changing the way they formulate such snacks.
“As a lawmaker, a parent and someone who struggled with ADHD, I find it unacceptable that we allow schools to serve foods with additives that are linked to hyperactivity and neurobehavioral harms,” Gabriel said in a statement Friday. “This bill will empower schools to better protect the health and well-being of our kids and encourage manufacturers to stop using these harmful additives.”
Indeed, the California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment found in 2021 that “consumption of synthetic food dyes can result in hyperactivity and other neurobehavioral problems in some children.”
California’s State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond said the bill sets new standards for school meals.
“Healthy, safe school meals are foundational to our students’ well-being and ability to learn. As someone who depended on school meals growing up, I know how critical it is that our children receive food at school that is nutritious and is never harmful,” Thurmond said Thursday in a statement. “AB 2316 is an important step forward to ensure that California’s schools are healthy and equitable learning environments for all.”
The bill, which is now headed to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk, does not ban particular food products, but takes aim at the six substances linked to behavioral issues in kids. It goes into effect Dec. 31, 2027.
Neither Frito Lay, which makes Cheetos, Doritos and other snack chips, nor Twinkies-maker Hostess, immediately responded to CBS MoneyWatch’s requests for comment.
California
Shake Shack closing 5 Southern California locations, citing underperformance
![Shake Shack closing 5 Southern California locations, citing underperformance Shake Shack closing 5 Southern California locations, citing underperformance](https://assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com/hub/i/r/2024/07/09/066eaa31-f927-4828-a33e-a558c5b2a7eb/thumbnail/1200x630/e18b401eaf63a05b2a0cbcfc0b29d2dc/gettyimages-1896220047.jpg?v=25685eaa472b1a5dbb5bd46ae506d232)
The burger chain Shake Shack is closing five locations in Southern California following a company announcement that a “small group” of closures will happen by the end of September.
Nine restaurants are set to close across three states, including five in Southern California and another Northern California location.
Shake Shack executives said various factors, including underperformance, led to the decision to close a handful of locations while opening more Shack locations is planned.
“Shake Shack is in a period of considerable growth with a plan to open 40 new company-owned Shacks and 40 more licensed Shacks this year,” said Shake Shack CEO, Rob Lynch.
“We remain focused on supporting our team members through this transition and look forward to continuing our growth, opening many more locations across the country.”
Two locations will close in Texas and one in Ohio with the California closures happening in Culver City, Bunker Hill, Koreatown, Silverlake, Westfield Topanga, and up north in Oakland.
Shake Shack opened its original location in New York City in 2004 and has expanded to over 510 locations, including 330 across 33 states and the District of Columbia, as well as 180 international locations.
Torrance welcomed California’s first Shake Shack drive-thru this month, the brand’s 36th drive-thru operation in the nation.
Complete closure list:
- Oakland, California
- Bunker Hill, California
- Downtown Culver City, California
- Koreatown, California
- Silverlake, California
- Westfield Topanga, California
- Polaris, Ohio
- Houston Galleria, Texas
- Montrose, Texas
California
Global IT outage in July exacerbated California fuel storage issues, says storage broker
By Shariq Khan
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Last month’s CrowdStrike IT outage that grounded scores of flights created new problems for California’s fuel market, forcing U.S. traders to store jet fuel destined for the state on waterborne tankers, storage broker The Tank Tiger told Reuters this week.
The outage exacerbated existing constraints on petroleum storage in California, where policies aimed at ending fossil fuel usage have made it harder to setup new oil and gas infrastructure.
“When it comes to petroleum products storage in California, there has been no room at the inn for several years,” Ernie Barsamian, founder of U.S. terminal storage clearinghouse, The Tank Tiger said on Wednesday.
But California’s location on the U.S. West Coast makes it a major petroleum trading hub, keeping demand high. That opens the region to outsized fuel price shocks during periods of disruptions, such as the IT outage or refinery snags.
“Despite prevailing demand, permitting for new storage tanks (in California) is a cumbersome process,” Barsamian said. As a result, storage costs in California are twice as high as trading hubs in New York Harbor or Houston, he said.
California’s Certified Unified Program Agency, responsible for implementing the state’s Aboveground Petroleum Storage Act Program, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
When flights were grounded in July, the unconsumed jet fuel could not find a home in California, and had to be re-positioned to waterborne locations off the coasts of Houston and New Orleans, Barsamian said.
Traders use ships as storage only as a last-resort when land storage is full or unavailable, as keeping the vessels in use longer delays their journeys, tightening the market and increasing costs.
Jet fuel inventories in onshore tanks dotting the U.S. West Coast shot up to over 12 million barrels in the week ended July 26, a record high. The CrowdStrike outage began on July 19.
Strong demand for the product has led to West Coast imports increasing significantly this year, analysts at ship-tracking service Kpler said. That has kept inventories higher than normal this year.
West Coast imports from within the U.S. and outside have averaged about 135,000 barrels a day this year, about 25,000 bpd higher than last year, Kpler data showed.
West Coast jet fuel stocks stood at 11.8 million barrels last week, nearly 28% higher than last year.
(Reporting by Shariq Khan in New York; Editing by Aurora Ellis)
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