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Federal regulators announced Sunday that an E. coli outbreak that infected at least seven people in three states have been traced to a raw cheddar cheese product.
Many of the affected individuals are children, ages 3 or younger, across California, Texas and Florida, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Of the seven reported cases, five were in California, one in Florida and another in Texas.
“The FDA and CDC, in collaboration with state and local partners, are investigating a multistate outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections,” the FDA said. “As of March 14, 2026, a total of 7 confirmed infections have been reported from three states.”
Officials said investigators have traced the outbreak to California producer RAW FARM, a family-owned company 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 of its shredded raw cheddar cheese product despite the agency’s recommendation.
In response, the dairy farm denied the allegations on its social media page Monday, claiming that the health agency made “false allegations” against the brand and that no tests have confirmed a positive match for the E. coli strain.
“We disagree 100% with the allegations made by the FDA and CDC,” the company said. “All of our products have been CONFIRMED to be negative for all harmful bacteria, including Ecoli 0157-H7. FDA has found NO Raw Farm products to be tested positive for Ecoli in the marketplace.”
“Inaccurate statements made by the FDA and CDC linking our brand to an outbreak is egregious and extreme harassment towards our brand,” it added.
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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 investigators were able to track the infections using epidemiological data, a scientific method that analyzes the distribution, patterns, and causes of health-related events.
“Epidemiologic 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 individuals who were 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.
At least two patients have been hospitalized, but no deaths have been reported in the outbreak, health officials added.
Despite the company’s denials, the FDA released a notice urging consumers and retailers to exercise caution with the cheese and to sanitize any 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. Illness typically begins anywhere from a few days up to nine days after consuming contaminated food.
FOX Business reached out to RAW FARM for additional comment.
