Raw Cheddar Cheese Recall

Today a multi-state outbreak of E. coli has been declared over by the CDC but it’s unclear the true extent of how many people were sickened. 11 people ranging in age from 2 to 27 years old were sickened between mid-October 2025 and early February 2026 after eating Raw Farms unpasteurized cheddar cheese. 2 of the 11 further developed a syndrome linked with kidney failure and brain damage.

Raw Farms did temporarily recall their unpasteurized cheddar cheese, but ended that recall before it was declared over. Considering how long the outbreak lasted, and the fact that it was E. coli, we can’t know for sure how many people were actually affected – many people have milder symptoms, recover quickly, or are never tested for that pathogen.

While it is against the law to sell raw milk across state lines, raw milk cheese is legal to sell to other states.

Unpasteurized milk and milk products are dangerous for everyone – it is not uncommon to hear about many of the Big 6 Pathogens and other major bacteria contaminating those products – but when we’re dealing with high-risk populations, they are extra susceptible to infection. Pasteurization is what allows us to kill harmful bacteria from fecal contamination. In the case of this outbreak, even though no positive E. coli cultures were collected, all affected persons mentioned that they had consumed this product in particular.

https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2026/03/more-patients-identified-in-outbreak-linked-to-raw-farm/

https://www.foodsafetynews.com/2024/03/cdc-declares-outbreak-linked-to-unpasteurized-cheese-over/