The congressional Food Safety Caucus has released a joint statement regarding an ongoing Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 outbreak in which the likely vehicle of illness is raw (unpasteurized) cheese produced by Raw Farm LLC. Despite the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) recommendation, the company has refused to issue a voluntary product recall.

“FDA recommended that Raw Farm voluntarily remove its raw cheese products from sale after they determined it was the likely source of an ongoing E. coli outbreak,” the caucus members said. “Raw Farm refused. We have one message for Raw Farm and FDA: get it off the shelves—now.”

“If mandatory authority needs to be strengthened, the Food Safety Caucus stands ready to tackle this issue at FDA’s request,” the statement continued.

The caucus has also called into question U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s (RFK Jr.’s) connection to Raw Farm.

Seven Sickened Across State Lines

Related to the current outbreak, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported seven confirmed infections in California (five cases), Florida (one), and Texas (one), including two hospitalizations. Most cases (four) involve patients who are three years of age or younger. Known illness onset dates range from September 1, 2025 to February 13, 2026.

Whole genome sequencing (WGS) analysis determined the genetic relatedness of clinical E. coli isolates.

According to FDA, epidemiologic evidence indicates that Raw Farm-brand raw cheddar cheese products are the likely source of the outbreak, although no Raw Farm products from the outbreak period have yet tested positive for E. coli. Sampling and analysis by state public health authorities is ongoing.

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has also pointed to Raw Farm cheese as the likely vehicle of illness, citing interviews with outbreak patients who indicated eating Raw Farm cheddar cheese before the onset of illness.

FDA and CDPH advise consumers not to eat Raw Farm-brand cheddar cheese products.

Raw Farm “100 Percent Disagrees with FDA’s Allegations,” Refuses to Recall

Raw Farm LLC has declined to recall its raw cheese products per FDA recommendations.

On March 30, Raw Farm President and Owner Aaron McAfee, son of Founder Mark McAfee, posted a video statement to its website, saying about “Absolutely no. We disagree [with FDA’s allegations]. Based on the evidence and facts we’ve reviewed… for the first time in our company’s history we declined a voluntary recall. In the past, we’ve had recalls, we’ve owned it… this is different.”

Mr. McAfee went on to say that, because their products are “truly raw,” Raw Farm LLC tests every batch of cheese it makes prior to releasing it to market and the milk that is used to produce the cheese prior to production, as well as its cows end environmental swabs. The company also claims it has not personally received any illness complaints from customers or retailers in association with this outbreak.

Previous Raw Farm Cheese E. coli Outbreak

In 2024, CDC and FDA named Raw Farm cheddar cheese products as the vehicle of illness in a separate E. coli O157:H7 outbreak that sickened 11 people in five states, based on epidemiologic data. The outbreak caused five hospitalizations and two cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).

Fresno, California-based Raw Farm, formerly known as Organic Pastures, rebranded in 2020 after altering its production process to be “truly raw” (but no longer organic). Since 2006, Raw Farm has been linked to 15 incidents involving E. coli, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella, and Campylobacter. Since its rebrand in 2020, in addition to the ongoing E. coli outbreak, Raw Farm has been involved in one Salmonella outbreak, one E. coli outbreak, and one recall due to avian influenza contamination.

Congress Calls RFK Jr.’s Connection to Raw Farm into Question

The statement from the congressional Food Safety Caucus said “Secretary Kennedy’s connection to Raw Farm and FDA’s lack of action here raise serious questions. At bare minimum, this is a potentially concerning conflict of interest. At worst, Secretary Kennedy is once again playing dangerous games with Americans' health.”

Secretary Kennedy is a known advocate for and consumer of unpasteurized dairy products, including Raw Farm-brand products.

In June 2024, when RFK Jr. was running for President before his appointment as Health Secretary, his Vice Presidential running mate, Nicole Shanahan, visited Raw Farm LLC on the campaign’s behalf.

Risks of Raw Dairy

Despite its recent rise in popularity in some circles as a more "natural" alternative to pasteurized milk, food safety and public health experts continue to express that raw milk carries a heightened risk of causing foodborne illness. Pasteurization, which raw dairy does not undergo, inactivates harmful bacteria that may be present. Some figures estimate that unpasteurized milk is 150 times more likely to cause foodborne illness than pasteurized milk.