A California dairy producer that well being authorities have been investigating amid an ongoing outbreak of E. coli is recalling some of its uncooked cheese products, after initially refusing to take action.
Raw Farm of Fresno, California, stated Thursday it’s voluntarily recalling greater than a half-dozen forms of its cheddar cheese produced from uncooked milk. The recalled batches carry expiration dates spanning from May 2026 to September 2026.
Interest in and gross sales of uncooked milk have been rising lately, fueled by social media and rising help from the Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again movement. Raw milk has not been pasteurized, which kills germs like E. coli, salmonella, listeria and campylobacter.
The Food and Drug Administration started investigating circumstances of E. coli meals poisoning amongst individuals who had reportedly consumed the corporate’s products final month and beforehand requested a recall.
In an replace final week, the FDA stated it was conducting an inspection of the corporate’s amenities however had not discovered optimistic testing for E. coli micro organism among the many firm’s products.
Raw Farm reiterated that time in its announcement Thursday and added that it was conducting its recall “under protest” and with the intention to chart “a path forward.”
“This voluntary recall is limited to Raw Farm-brand cheddar cheese, and no other products are being voluntarily recalled,” the corporate stated.
The FDA has the authority to order meals corporations to recall their products when there’s a affordable danger of great damage or loss of life, however the company should first give the corporate the chance to voluntarily comply.
The FDA stated final week that 9 individuals, together with youngsters, have been sickened within the increasing outbreak.
Of eight individuals interviewed by well being officers, seven reported consuming Raw Farm-brand products, in response to the FDA. Two individuals in 2025 reported consuming Raw Farm milk and 5 individuals in 2026 stated they ate or had been served Raw Farm uncooked cheddar cheese.
Genetic sequencing of E. coli strains from sick individuals present that they’re all carefully associated, indicating individuals within the outbreak “share a common source of infection,” the FDA stated.
The federal authorities doesn’t permit the sale of unpasteurized milk across state lines for human consumption. States have broadly various laws relating to uncooked milk, with some permitting retail gross sales in shops and others permitting sale solely at farms. Some states permit so-called cowshares, the place individuals pay for milk from designated animals, and some permit consumption solely by farm homeowners, workers or “non-paying guests.”