Shopper warns about milk sold at Costco and Walmart after new FDA policy: 'No longer safe...'

People across cities are used to getting their daily essentials, from eggs to milk and fresh produce, as well as meat, from leading retail chains such as Costco and Walmart. But while consumers trusted them to ensure high-quality standards at lower prices, they're now concerned about the quality of their milk after reports of the Food and Drug Administration suspending its quality testing program for fluid milk. The issue has gone viral with a creator, Chery Ford (@cheyford95), claiming that most milk brands, including the ones sold at Costco, Walmart, Kroger, OFC, Aldi, and more, are no longer safe to consume.

In her video, which now has over 500,000 views, Ford issued a PSA to all her viewers claiming that the FDA is no longer testing milk across the country. She further claimed that the only safe brands to purchase are Fairlife and Horizon Organics. “All other brands, Costco, Walmart, Kroger, QFC, Aldi, Piggly Wiggly—I don’t know what you guys have out in the South—all of those will no longer be safe,” she said in her video.

Citing a doctor's report, Ford claimed that the milk is no longer being tested for pathogens that can cause serious diseases. "So, be careful and don't get those milks," she said at the end of her video.

Turns out there is truth to the creator's claims, as the FDA has suspended its quality control program for testing milk and other dairy products. According to Reuters, the pause in the program is a result of staffing cuts within the Department of Health and Human Services.

However, another report from the Washington Post suggests that the program is not permanently shut down, and it's in the process of being transferred to another lab. In the meantime, state and federal labs continue to analyze food samples. An FDA spokesperson also confirmed to the publication that the standard constraints will continue for all milk and dairy products until a new quality assurance laboratory is established.

Coming to the creator's source, she seemed to be citing popular health influencer and pediatric allergist Dr. Zachary Rubin. The health expert posted a video on his profile talking about a leaked memo from the FDA that announced the policy change. In his video, Rubin also suggested what labels to look for before purchasing milk amid the suspension.

“If you drink cow’s milk … look for ultra-pasteurized milk, where the milk is cooked at higher temperatures, which is more likely to kill off more microbes and have a longer shelf life," he said in his video.

According to this, both Horizon Organics and Fairlife milk are safe to consume as they are ultra-pasteurized, as @cheyford95 mentioned in her video. However, some brands of big box retailers also sell ultra-pasteurized milk, so shoppers are recommended to check the labels before buying.

On the other hand, the Washington Report explained that the FDA cuts only affect the individual milk producers and their own testing measures, rather than the milk itself. Hence, all milk brands will continue to ensure that their products are safe to consume through their own monitoring measures. 

For more updates and informative videos, follow Cherry Ford (@cheyford95) on TikTok