E. coli found in raw cheese made by Raw Farm LLC

Federal inspectors discovered E. coli contamination in raw cheddar cheese produced by Raw Farm LLC of Fresno, California.

The dairy is linked to an ongoing outbreak of E. coli that sickened nine people in three states, California, Texas and Florida. 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.

More than half of the patients affected by the outbreak are children under the age of five, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

The E. coli bacteria found in cheese made from raw milk does not match patients in the current outbreak, but it does match patients in a 2025 outbreak. The contamination was found in one of 19 samples tested by the FDA.

The FDA asked the dairy to recall its raw cheddar cheese in March due to an epidemiological link between it and patients with an outbreak. The dairy refused to issue a recall for three weeks. When she recalled the cheese involved, she did so “under protest.”

There are concerns that some consumers may still have the recalled cheese in their homes, as its shelf life extends until September this year. For more details on the recall, Click here.

Federal, state and local public health officials advise against consuming raw milk products because of the danger of pathogens that would be killed if the milk were pasteurized.

U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-CT, questioned Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. about his stance on raw milk during an April 16 congressional hearing. Kennedy has touted raw milk and is a longtime customer of Raw Farm LLC.

When DeLauro asked Kennedy if he would tell the public to stop drinking raw milk because of its dangers, the secretary did not give a specific answer, instead saying the federal government does not regulate raw milk. However, federal law prohibits the sale of raw milk across state lines. And the FDA’s information page on raw milk tells the public not to drink it or give it to children because of the dangers of bacteria in unpasteurized milk.

Raw Farm products have been involved in numerous recalls and outbreaks over the past few years: