FDA Links Multi‑State E. Coli Outbreak to Raw Farm Raw‑Milk Cheddar

Federal health officials say at least seven people in three states, more than half of them children age 3 or younger, have been sickened in an E. coli outbreak likely tied to Raw Farm brand cheddar cheese made from raw milk, with illnesses reported from September 2025 through mid‑February 2026 in California, Florida and Texas. The FDA says genetic analysis shows the E. coli isolates from patients are closely related and interviews with three sick individuals found all had eaten Raw Farm raw‑milk cheddar, leading investigators to identify the product as the probable source even though no E. coli has yet been found in tested cheese samples. Two patients have been hospitalized, and the CDC is urging consumers to "consider not eating" Raw Farm raw‑milk cheddar while the FDA recommended the company voluntarily pull its raw cheeses from sale, a step Raw Farm’s owner Mark McAfee has refused, arguing investigators have not definitively proven a link and that no pathogens have been found in his products. Officials are still gathering exposure information from four additional cases and say the probe is ongoing to pinpoint how the contamination occurred and whether other products are implicated. The case will likely intensify long‑running public‑health debates over the risks of raw‑milk dairy products, especially for children, and highlights tensions between federal safety regulators and producers who cater to niche markets skeptical of government oversight.