FDA investigating illnesses linked to raw cheddar cheese from California farm

A raw cheese producer has refused to recall two of its products after the Food and Drug Administration linked the cheeses to a multistate outbreak of a dangerous strain of E. coli. coli.

The FDA said Sunday that Raw Farm raw cheddar cheese has been linked to seven cases of E. coli O157:H7 infections, a strain of the bacteria that can cause serious kidney problems and lead to hospitalization or death.

Four of the seven cases involve children aged 3 or younger. Two patients were hospitalized; no cases of renal failure or death have been reported.

The cases span from September 1, 2025 to February 13, 2026 and were detected in California, Florida and Texas. Three of the patients interviewed by health officials said they ate Raw Farm brand raw cheddar. The other cases were linked to the outbreak through genetic sequencing of the bacteria, suggesting the illness came from the same source.

The two Raw Farm brand products linked to the outbreak are:

• All sizes of the original “Raw Cheddar” block
• All sizes of the original shredded “Raw Cheddar”

The FDA can impose food recalls, but generally prefers that companies do so voluntarily.

Raw Farm did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The California-based company is owned by Mark McAfee, a raw milk advocate and one of the nation’s leading raw milk producers. By 2024, the company’s raw milk was linked to dozens of cases of salmonella. NBC News reported last year that McAfee had planned to advise Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on ways to support raw milk, but the plans did not come to fruition.

Before his appointment as Secretary of Health, Kennedy was a strong advocate of raw milk.

The FDA partners with state agencies to test for E. coli in the company’s two raw cheddar products.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people not eat any of the affected products. Consumers should also wash items and surfaces that have come into contact with raw cheeses in hot, soapy water, the CDC says.

Raw milk cheese is made from dairy products that have not been pasteurized, a process that heats them enough to destroy bacteria.

The CDC warns that drinking or eating raw milk products can expose people to various germs, including E. coli, listeria and salmonella.

Children under 5, people over 65, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are at higher risk of serious illness from raw dairy products, according to the CDC.

In February, New Mexico health officials said a newborn died from a listeria infection likely spread by the baby’s mother, who drank raw milk while pregnant. And last August, Florida health officials said 21 people developed campylobacter and E. coli infections after consuming raw milk. Six of these infections involved children under 10 years old. There is no indication that Raw Farm brand products were linked to these illnesses.