Texas Among States Hit by E. Coli Outbreak Tied to Raw Cheddar Cheese; Producer Resists Recall

A multistate E. coli outbreak linked to raw cheddar cheese from a California dairy farm has now reached Texas, and the Fresno-based producer is declining to voluntarily pull the product from shelves — even as more than half the people sickened are children under the age of five.

The FDA and CDC are investigating nine confirmed E. coli O157:H7 infections across California, Florida, and Texas tied to RAW FARM-brand raw cheddar cheese, sold in block and shredded forms at retailers including H-E-B and Sprouts Farmers Market. "FDA continues to work with state partners to collect and analyze samples, collaborate with CDC on known cases, and has issued an outbreak advisory to inform consumers, restaurants, and retailers," an FDA spokesperson said.

Three people have been hospitalized, and one developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a serious kidney condition. RAW FARM president Aaron McAfee told Consumer Reports that state testing in California and Texas found no contamination in the company's products. "The minute I feel that we can somehow take an action that will help with public safety, I'll take it," McAfee said.

The CDC is advising consumers to avoid the affected cheese and to wash any surfaces that came into contact with it. The company has a history of previous foodborne illness incidents, including outbreaks involving salmonella and bird flu — a pattern that sharpens the scrutiny considerably.

The outbreak arrives against a pointed federal backdrop. The congressional Food Safety Caucus released a joint statement calling out both the company and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vocal raw milk champion with ties to RAW FARM. "Secretary Kennedy's connection to Raw Farm and FDA's lack of action here raise serious questions," the caucus said. "At worst, Secretary Kennedy is once again playing dangerous games with Americans' health."

Under Kennedy's HHS, the CDC scaled back its FoodNet surveillance program last year from eight tracked foodborne pathogens to just two.