More patients identified in outbreak linked to Raw Farm
More people are sickened following an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections linked to raw cheddar cheese from Raw Farm LLC.
More than half of the nine patients are children under 5, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Three of the patients required hospitalization and one developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious illness that can lead to kidney failure, brain damage and death.
Of eight people for whom epidemiological information is available, seven reported eating Raw Farm brand cheddar cheese made from unpasteurized raw milk. The eighth patient also reported eating raw milk cheddar cheese, but could not remember what brand. Pasteurization is a thermal process that heats milk for 15 seconds to kill harmful bacteria such as E. coli, Salmonella and Listeria.
Whole genome sequencing of bacteria from outbreak patients shows that they were all infected with the same strain of E. coli, which means they share a common source. The FDA reports that raw milk cheese from Raw Farm dairy products is the most likely source of the bacteria.
Seven of the patients live in California, one in Texas and one in Florida. The illnesses began in September 2025 with two patients identified. The remaining seven fell ill in 2026, with the most recent appearing on February 20.
The FDA asked the dairy to recall its raw milk cheddar cheese, but the dairy’s owners refused to do so.
FDA investigators, along with California officials, are inspecting the dairy.
