A raw cheese producer has declined to issue a recall of two of its products after the Food and Drug Administration linked the cheeses to a multistate outbreak of a dangerous strain of E. coli.
TheFDA said Sundaythat Raw Farm's 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 are in children ages 3 or younger. Two patients have been hospitalized; no cases of kidney failure or deaths have been reported.
The cases span Sept. 1, 2025, to Feb. 13, 2026, and have been detected in California, Florida and Texas. Three of the patients interviewed by health officials reported eating Raw Farm-brand raw cheddar. The other cases have been linked to the outbreak through genetic sequencing of the bacteria, which suggests that the illness came from the same source.
The two Raw Farm-brand products linked to the outbreak are:
All sizes of the original block "Raw Cheddar"
All sizes of the original shredded "Raw Cheddar"
TheFDA can mandate food recallsbut generally prefers that companies do so voluntarily.
Raw Farm didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
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The California-based company is owned by Mark McAfee, a raw milk advocate and one of the country's leading raw milk producers. In 2024, the company's raw milk was tied todozens of salmonella cases. NBC Newsreported last yearthat McAfee had expected to advise Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on ways to support raw milk but plans did not come to fruition.
Prior to his appointment as health secretary, Kennedy was avocal proponent of raw milk.
The FDA is partnering with state agencies to test the company's two raw cheddar products for E. coli.
TheCenters for Disease Control and Preventionrecommends that people not eat any of the affected products. Consumers should also wash items and surfaces that have come in contact with the raw cheeses using hot soapy water, the CDC says.
Raw milk cheese is made from dairy that hasn't been pasteurized, a process that heats it enough to destroy bacteria.
TheCDC warnsthat drinking or eating products made with raw milk can expose people to a variety of germs, including E. coli, listeria and salmonella.
Children under age 5, people over age 65, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are at higher risk for serious illness from raw dairy, according to the CDC.
In February, health officials in New Mexico saida newborn baby diedfrom a listeria infection that likely spread from the baby's mother, who drank raw milk while pregnant. And last August, Florida health officials said that21 people developed campylobacter and E. coli infectionsafter consuming raw milk. Six of those infections were in kids under age 10. There's no indication that Raw Farm-brand products were linked to those illnesses.
