CDC Links 9 E. Coli Cases in 3 States to California Raw Milk and Cheese Producer

Federal health officials say nine people, more than half of them children under 5, have been sickened in an expanding E. coli outbreak tied to raw milk and raw‑milk cheddar cheese from Raw Farm, a producer based in Fresno, California. The CDC reports seven cases in California and two in Texas and Florida, with illnesses occurring from September through mid‑February, three hospitalizations, and at least one patient developing a serious kidney complication, though no deaths so far. Genetic sequencing shows the E. coli strains in all patients are closely related, indicating a common source, and FDA interviews found seven of eight patients consumed Raw Farm products before getting sick. FDA officials say they advised Raw Farm to recall its raw milk cheddar cheese but the company refused, and Rep. Rosa DeLauro and members of the Congressional Food Safety Caucus are publicly urging the agency to use its mandatory recall authority—something it has not yet committed to do. The outbreak is unfolding amid rising U.S. interest in raw milk, amplified by social media and political movements promoting 'natural' foods, putting additional pressure on regulators over how aggressively to intervene when a producer resists a recall.