If I had any concern, I would have issued a voluntary recall
Across three American states, nine people — most of them very young children — have fallen ill from a dangerous strain of E. coli traced to raw cheddar cheese produced by Raw Farm, the nation's largest raw milk operation. The outbreak, which unfolded quietly between September and February before federal investigators confirmed the link, places an old tension at the center of public life: the freedom to produce and consume food outside conventional safety systems, and the cost that freedom can impose on the most vulnerable. One child has developed a condition threatening kidney failure, and the farm's president has declined to recall his products, leaving regulators and families suspended in an unresolved standoff.
- A child in one of three affected states is now fighting hemolytic uremic syndrome — a complication of E. coli infection that can destroy kidney function — while two others remain hospitalized alongside them.
- Raw Farm, already linked to a record-breaking salmonella outbreak and bird flu deaths in cats since 2024, now faces its third public health crisis in under two years, raising urgent questions about whether the pattern demands a different regulatory response.
- The farm's president is refusing a voluntary recall, citing his own negative test results on retail samples and demanding what he calls 'direct proof' — a standard that puts him at odds with federal investigators who say genetic fingerprinting already establishes the link.
- The FDA has recommended a voluntary recall but has not yet compelled one, leaving the agency's investigation in motion while the cheese remains in question on store shelves.
- The CDC is urging consumers to stop eating Raw Farm cheddar immediately and to sanitize any surfaces it may have touched, filling the gap between regulatory authority and corporate compliance with public guidance alone.
Raw Farm, the largest raw milk producer in the United States, is at the center of a new E. coli outbreak that has sickened nine people across California, Florida, and Texas. Federal investigators confirmed in late March that the illnesses — which began appearing as early as September and continued through February — were linked to cheddar cheese made from the company's raw milk, with genetic fingerprinting of bacterial samples establishing the connection.
What distinguishes this outbreak is its toll on the young. More than half of those sickened are children under five, the age group most susceptible to severe complications from E. coli O157:H7. Three people have been hospitalized, and one patient has developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a serious condition that can progress to kidney failure.
This is the third public health crisis tied to Raw Farm in under two years. In 2024, the company was linked to a salmonella outbreak that sickened at least 165 people — the largest in over a decade — and to H5N1 bird flu detected in three Los Angeles-area cats that had consumed its raw milk, two of which died. The pattern has deepened concerns among health officials about the farm's safety record.
Despite the accumulating evidence, Raw Farm president Aaron McAfee has declined to issue a voluntary recall, arguing that 81 retail samples his company tested all came back negative for E. coli and that he requires 'direct proof' before acting. The FDA, whose own product testing has also returned negative results, has nonetheless recommended a voluntary recall and dispatched inspectors to the farm — noting that contamination can occur during distribution and that the genetic evidence remains compelling.
The CDC has stepped into the gap, advising consumers to discard the cheese and disinfect any surfaces it may have touched. For the families affected, and for regulators weighing their next move, the question of whether Raw Farm will act — or whether the government will be forced to compel it — remains open.
Raw Farm, the nation's largest producer of raw milk, is now at the center of an E. coli outbreak that has sickened nine people across California, Florida, and Texas. The contamination was traced to cheddar cheese made from the company's raw milk, and the FDA confirmed the connection in late March after investigating illnesses that began appearing in September of the previous year and continued through February.
What makes this outbreak particularly alarming is who got sick. More than half of the nine cases involve children under five years old—the age group most vulnerable to severe complications from E. coli O157:H7, the dangerous strain responsible for these illnesses. Three people have required hospitalization. One patient developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a serious condition that can progress to kidney failure. The genetic fingerprinting of bacterial samples from affected individuals showed clear similarities, establishing the link to Raw Farm's product.
This is not the first time Raw Farm has been at the center of a public health crisis. In December 2024, the company was identified as the source of H5N1 bird flu detected in three cats in the Los Angeles area that had consumed the farm's raw milk. Two of those cats died. The discovery raised concerns among health officials about whether cats, like pigs, possess cellular receptors that could allow them to serve as mixing vessels where avian and mammalian flu viruses might recombine into new forms. That same year, Raw Farm was also linked to a massive salmonella outbreak that sickened at least 165 people—the largest salmonella outbreak in more than a decade.
Despite the pattern, Raw Farm's president Aaron McAfee has resisted taking action. When contacted by NBC News about the current outbreak, he stated he would not issue a voluntary recall of his products without what he called "direct proof" linking them to the illnesses. He pointed to testing his company conducted on 81 samples purchased from retail stores in California, all of which came back negative for E. coli. "If I had any concern, I would have issued a voluntary recall," he said.
The FDA has not issued a mandatory recall, but it has recommended that Raw Farm voluntarily remove its cheese products from store shelves. The agency's investigation remains ongoing, and inspectors have been sent to the farm. Notably, no Raw Farm products have tested positive for E. coli in the FDA's testing, which complicates the picture but does not resolve it—contamination can occur during distribution or handling, and the genetic evidence linking the outbreak to the farm remains strong.
Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued its own guidance, advising consumers to avoid eating the cheese while the investigation continues and to thoroughly wash any surfaces or utensils that may have come into contact with it, including cutting boards, knives, and countertops. The outbreak advisory serves as a public warning while regulators and the company remain at odds over whether the evidence is sufficient to warrant a full recall. For families in three states, the question of whether Raw Farm will act voluntarily—or whether regulators will be forced to act—remains unresolved.
Citações Notáveis
If I had any concern, I would have issued a voluntary recall.— Aaron McAfee, Raw Farm president, to NBC News
Consider not eating this cheese while the investigation continues.— Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance to consumers
A Conversa do Hearth Outra perspectiva sobre a história
Why does this farm keep appearing in outbreak after outbreak? Is there something structurally wrong with how they operate?
The pattern suggests either persistent contamination in their facilities or a business model that prioritizes raw milk production in ways that don't prioritize safety. Raw milk carries inherent risks—that's why it's regulated. But when you're the largest producer in the country, the scale of exposure is enormous.
The president says he won't recall without direct proof. What does he mean by that?
He's drawing a distinction between epidemiological evidence—which links illnesses to his product—and laboratory evidence showing his product itself contains the pathogen. It's a narrow legal argument, but it's also how he avoids the cost and reputational damage of a recall.
But they tested 81 samples and found nothing. Doesn't that suggest the product is safe?
Not necessarily. E. coli can be unevenly distributed in a batch. You can test dozens of samples and miss contamination in others. The genetic evidence connecting the outbreak to his farm is separate from whether his current inventory tests clean.
What about the bird flu in cats? That seems like a different kind of warning.
It is. It showed that raw milk from this farm can carry avian flu. The concern wasn't just about cats getting sick—it was about whether cats could become a mixing ground for flu viruses to mutate. That's a biosecurity question, not just a food safety one.
So what happens now if he refuses to recall?
The FDA can issue a mandatory recall, but that takes time and legal process. In the meantime, the outbreak advisory is the public warning. Parents in three states are making decisions about what to feed their children based on a recommendation to "consider not eating" the cheese—which is cautious language, but it's not a ban.