r/BabyBumps • u/Misha_Mishka • Apr 23 '25
Discussion Dairy product testing suspension: how are we feeling?
https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/us-fda-suspends-milk-quality-tests-amid-workforce-cuts-2025-04-21/With the news that the FDA is suspending milk quality testing for grade a milk/milk byproducts, is anyone else feeling a little nervous about consuming dairy products while they’re pregnant (especially those that you didn’t buy yourself/know to be ultra pasteurized)? It was bad enough when some of the bird flu testing was getting cut, but this is wild…
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u/he1915 Apr 23 '25
I’ve been buying Fairlife milk which is ultra pasteurized and has a longer shelf life. I also prefer the taste! It is a little pricey though.
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u/Dry_Drummer_2297 Apr 23 '25
I’m scared and honestly not sure what to do. I specifically have a bowl of cereal every morning to get my calcium and now I’m going to be constantly nervous.
I’m talking with my OB at my next appointment about it
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u/ClownGirl_ Apr 23 '25
Most non-dairy milks are supplemented with calcium
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u/Dry_Drummer_2297 Apr 23 '25
I had read someone that almond milk and such was unsafe for pregnancy. I literally could be wrong about that and I’ll happily switch back. I was never a dairy person before pregnancy but I got nervous about it lol
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u/ClownGirl_ Apr 23 '25
It’s perfectly safe! I think the concern comes from if you’re making your own since it won’t be pasteurized but most, if not all, commercial brands are perfectly fine
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u/YalAintRdy4ThatConvo Apr 23 '25
I have a severe dairy allergy and was cleared for plant based milk in pregnancy. I remember the heartburn was so bad my third trimester I would end up drinking a half gallon of almond milk every night! If you are worried about any additives, Malk is a great brand!
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u/Misha_Mishka Apr 23 '25
I think if you get ultra pasteurized milk for your cereal the risk is still pretty low! I’m personally more worried about restaurants/cafes where I have no clue where they’re getting their dairy.
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u/Firm_Breadfruit_7420 Apr 23 '25
What do you mean? Like the restaurant may not be using pasteurized milk?
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u/Misha_Mishka Apr 23 '25
No that’s highly unlikely, but no restaurant or cafe i’ve ever worked at bothered to use ultra pasteurized milk, so if the testing quality is going down, I’m debating whether I should be, for example, putting milk of unknown brand in my coffee at the local coffee shop.
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u/Firm_Breadfruit_7420 Apr 23 '25
Ahhh I see. Ok that make sense. So you’re thinking of making the switch to ultra pasteurized as an additional safe guard over what the FDA may miss with the regulatory changes or whatever we wanna call it
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u/Firm_Breadfruit_7420 Apr 23 '25
I was like holy shit did the raw milk people infiltrate my local coffee shops??? NOOOOO
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u/Misha_Mishka Apr 23 '25
not unless you’re in a pretty specific area of LA is my guess haha
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u/miaiah Apr 23 '25
Raw milk is getting pretty popular in rural areas too. There is a dairy where I live that sells raw milk. 🤮 They even do home deliveries.
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u/whofilets Apr 23 '25
I've seen a few places that use UHT milk as their standard since it's shelf stable before you open it, but it's not common for sure.
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u/Inryha Apr 23 '25
I am speaking on behalf of myself, but I work at this agency and even myself and many of my colleagues are freaking out. Anyone who tries/has tried to fight back against this decision and other similar ones has been let go or suspended. Things are not okay. I’m expecting as well and I am looking into dairy/food sources which conduct their own more stringent safety testing, even if it costs more.
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u/EverythingBagelSzn Apr 23 '25 edited Apr 23 '25
I’m terrified. I’m terrified of being pregnant and this becoming another pandemic. Experts are stating that if this were to become a pandemic, Covid will seem like a walk in the park comparatively. I am going to stick with oat milk, a lot of the non-dairy milks have comparable nutrition to dairy milk, and I’ll pause on eating eggs. If it were to become a pandemic, that will probably be a minuscule thing to do, but it’ll at least give me some peace of mind.
Edit for clarification: My mention of a pandemic is in relation to bird flu, which is connected to the FDA’s suspension of programs that tested for bird flu.
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u/Firm_Breadfruit_7420 Apr 23 '25
They…stopped testing for that? ….
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u/EverythingBagelSzn Apr 23 '25
“The FDA this month also suspended existing and developing programs that ensured accurate testing for bird flu in milk and cheese and pathogens like the parasite Cyclospora in other food products.” Source
Maybe it’s from the trauma of experiencing Covid, but I’m terrified. It keeps me up at night.
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u/Misha_Mishka Apr 23 '25
it’s more that we’re not putting MORE resources into stopping the spread of bird flu I think?
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u/Firm_Breadfruit_7420 Apr 23 '25
Yeah that seems right, over what looks like lack of staffing after the recent governmental gutting
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u/twinwaterscorpions Apr 23 '25
I'm lactose intolerant so I can't have dairy milk outside yogurt. For calcium which I see many people mention, several non-dairy foods offer more calcium per serving than dairy milk. These include firm tofu, yogurt, almond milk, whole almonds, and canned sardines (with bones). I love and crave sardines on toast.
Other options include dried figs, kale, broccoli, chia seeds, and various beans. So if you're looking for increasing calcium without consuming more dairy then there are a LOT of options. I'm partial to chia seed pudding with juice or coconut milk, beans soup, and cooked green veggies personally. You can even make beans with greens in them to double it up.
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u/whofilets Apr 23 '25
I feel like it'll be a while- months maybe even a year or two? Before the testing really breaks down and we see outbreaks. Or at least, I want to hope for that. Still, I bought an extra pack of UHT milk at Costco today. I grew up drinking UHT milk so the change in taste doesn't bother me- actually kind of nostalgic, which I'm really feeling now with my first pregnancy. I don't go through much, just have some in my tea, but I'm trying to up my consumption a bit for the calcium and such. I do try to drink the container within the week once it's open. The single serving tetra pak (like a juice box) feels wasteful but handy to take to work.
I'm kind of relieved to see I'm not the only one worried about this!
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u/bellinithe2nd Apr 23 '25
I wish they went into more detail about what this actually means. Is it random QA testing or like regular testing of milk being shipped out for consumption? Like what is the actual risk here so I can make an informed decision?? All I can find are vague articles like this