FDA reports more severe E. coli cases linked to raw milk cheese from a California farm

An E. coli outbreak linked to cheddar cheese made from raw milk at a California farm has expanded to nine people in three states, the FDA said.

An E. coli outbreak linked to cheddar cheese made from raw milk at a California farm has expanded to nine people in three states, the Food and Drug Administration said. More than half of the people sickened so far are children under age 5.

Three people had to be hospitalized after they contracted a dangerous strain of E. coli, O157:H7, which produces toxins in the body that cause severe, sometimes bloody, diarrhea and abdominal cramping. One person developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a condition that can lead to kidney failure.

The FDA said that samples taken from people who became ill between September 2025 and February 2026 were all closely genetically linked to one another, meaning that they all likely got sick from the same source. Seven cases were reported in California. Florida and Texas each reported a case.

The FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that Raw Farm, a Fresno, California-based company is the likely source of the outbreak. Interviews with seven of the patients revealed they’d consumed dairy products from Raw Farm. Five specifically remembered eating the farm’s raw cheddar cheese, according to alerts sent from the health agencies.

As of Friday, no Raw Farm products had been reported to test positive for E. coli. The FDA has not issued a mandatory recall of Raw Farm products, instead recommending that Raw Farm remove cheese products from store shelves on their own.