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Federal regulators announced Sunday that an E. coli outbreak that has infected at least seven people in three states has been traced to a raw cheddar cheese product.
According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), many of the affected individuals are children age 3 or younger across California, Texas and Florida. Of the seven reported cases, five were in Californiaone in Florida and one in Texas.
“The FDA and CDC, in collaboration with state and local partners, are investigating a multi-state outbreak of E.coli O157:H7 infections,” the FDA said. “As of March 14, 2026, a total of seven confirmed infections have been reported from three states.”
Officials said investigators have traced the outbreak to California producer RAW FARM, a family-owned business recognized as the nation’s largest producer of raw dairy products.
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The FDA noted that RAW FARM declined to issue a voluntary recall for its shredded raw cheddar cheese product despite the agency’s recommendation.
In response, the dairy company denied the allegations on its social media page on Monday, claiming that the health department had made “false accusations” against the brand and that no tests have confirmed a positive match for the E. coli strain.
“We 100% disagree with the allegations made by the FDA and the CDC,” the company said. “All of our products have been CONFIRMED to be negative for all harmful bacteria, including Ecoli 0157-H7. The FDA has determined that NO Raw Farm products on the market have tested positive for Ecoli.”
“Inaccurate statements from the FDA and CDC associating our brand an outbreak is blatant and extreme harassment against our brand,” the report said.
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The FDA confirmed that no RAW FARM brand cheddar cheese products have yet tested positive for E. coli, but said state partners have begun collecting product samples.
They added that researchers could track the infections using epidemiological data, a scientific method that analyzes the spread, patterns and causes of health-related events.
“Epidemiological evidence indicates that RAW FARM brand raw cheddar cheese products, made by RAW FARM, LLC, are the likely source of this outbreak,” the agency said.
Of the three people interviewed, all reported eating RAW FARM brand cheese, federal regulators said, adding that local officials are working to gather additional information for the other four cases.
Grated cheese is shown in a white bowl in an undated photo. (iStock / iStock)
At least two patients have been hospitalized, but no deaths have been reported during the outbreak, health officials added.
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Despite the company’s denials, the FDA issued a notice urging consumers and retailers to be careful with the cheese and disinfect all surfaces to prevent cross-contamination.
The E. coli strain involved can cause serious, potentially life-threatening conditions, including severe kidney failure, stomach cramps, fever, nausea, vomiting and bloody diarrhea, the FDA said. The illness usually begins a few days to nine days after consumption contaminated food.
