Raw dairy farm recalls some cheese products as FDA investigates E. coli outbreak

WASHINGTON– A California dairy farmer being investigated by health authorities amid an ongoing outbreak of E. coli is recalling some of its raw cheese products, after initially refusing to do so.

Raw Farm of Fresno, Calif., announced Thursday a voluntary recall of more than a half-dozen varieties of its raw milk-based cheddar cheese. The recalled lots have expiration dates ranging from May 2026 to September 2026.

Interest and sales of raw milk have increased in recent years, fueled by social media and growing support for Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again movement. Raw milk has not been pasteurized, which kills germs like E. coli, salmonella, listeria and campylobacter.

The Food and Drug Administration has begun investigating cases of E. coli food poisoning among people who allegedly ate the company’s products last month and who had previously requested a recall.

In an update last week, the FDA said it was conducting an inspection of the company’s facilities but found no positive tests for E. coli among the company’s products.

Raw Farm reiterated that point in its announcement Thursday and added that it was conducting its recall “under protest” and in order to chart “a path forward.”

“This voluntary recall is limited to Raw Farm brand cheddar cheese, and no other products are being voluntarily recalled,” the company said.

The FDA has the authority to order food companies to recall their products when there is a reasonable risk of serious injury or death, but the agency must first give the company the opportunity to comply voluntarily.

The FDA said last week that nine people, including children, had become ill because of the growing outbreak.

According to the FDA, out of eight people surveyed by health officials, seven reported eating Raw Farm brand products. Two people in 2025 reported drinking raw farm milk and five people in 2026 reported eating or receiving raw farm cheddar cheese.

Genetic sequencing of strains of E. coli from sick people shows that they are all closely related, indicating that the people involved in the outbreak “share a common source of infection,” the FDA said.

The federal government does not allow unpasteurized milk to be sold interstate for human consumption. States have widely varying regulations regarding raw milk, with some allowing retail sales in stores and others allowing sales only on farms. Some states allow so-called cow sharing, where people pay for milk from designated animals, and others only allow consumption by farm owners, employees, or “non-paying guests.”

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