US FDA says commercial milk safe despite bird flu virus presence

April 23 (Reuters) - The US Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday that it had found bird flu virus particles in some samples of pasteurized milk, but said that commercial milk supply remains safe.

The FDA said that because the milk is pasteurized, it remains safe for human consumption as the process kills harmful bacteria and viruses by heating milk to a specific temperature.

"Based on available information, pasteurization is likely to inactivate the virus, however the process is not expected to remove the presence of viral particles," the FDA said. (Reporting by Manas Mishra in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)