FDA Links Raw Cheese to Outbreak; Manufacturers “100% disagree” and reject recall

The Food and Drug Administration has linked cheddar cheese made from raw (unpasteurized) milk to a multi-state outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing plants Escherichia coli. But the cheese maker, Raw Farm, rejects the regulator’s findings and refuses to voluntarily recall its cheese.

In an outbreak investigation notice, the FDA said seven cases have been identified in three states: California (five cases), Florida (one case) and Texas (one case). Of the seven cases, two required hospitalization. Four of the seven cases occurred in children 3 years old or younger who are at higher risk for severe illness. No deaths have been reported.

The appearance of the seven diseases lasted from September of last year until February 13. Escherichia coli in each case they were found to be highly related and therefore probably came from a common source. Of the three cases that health officials were able to interview in detail about their possible exposures, all three said they had eaten Raw Farm brand raw cheddar cheese.

With data pointing to Raw Farm cheese as the common source, state partners are now collecting samples of the cheese for testing, but results are not yet available. Meanwhile, the FDA said it recommended Raw Farm voluntarily remove its raw cheese products from the market, but said the company “has refused.”

In defiant social media posts, company representatives have firmly rejected the FDA’s findings and flatly refuse to remove their cheese from the market. “We 100% disagree with the FDA’s false ‘possible link’ and extreme allegations,” Raw Farm said. in a social media post.