Public Health and Raw Milk

Raw Farm, a Fresno, California producer of unpasteurized dairy products, has agreed under protest to recall more than a half‑dozen varieties of its raw‑milk cheddar cheese as the FDA investigates an expanding E. coli outbreak that has sickened at least nine people, including children. The recall covers specific cheddar batches with expiration dates from May through September 2026, after the company initially refused federal requests to pull products. FDA officials say genetic sequencing shows the E. coli strains in patients are closely related, and seven of eight interviewed patients reported consuming Raw Farm products, with some drinking its milk in 2025 and others eating its raw cheddar this year. While FDA inspectors have not yet found E. coli in sampled Raw Farm products, the agency cites a reasonable risk of serious illness and notes it can order a mandatory recall if needed. The episode comes as interest in raw milk has been rising, fueled by social media and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again movement, even though pasteurization is known to kill E. coli, salmonella, listeria and other pathogens that can make children especially sick, a tension that is already sparking sharp online arguments over food freedom versus basic public‑health protections.