Raw Farm Cheese: No Evidence for Federal E. Coli Allegations
Raw Farm, LLC is contesting allegations from the FDA and CDC that its raw cheddar cheese is linked to a multistate E. coli O157:H7 outbreak, stating that no pathogen has been detected in any of its products and calling the agencies’ advisory premature, misleading, and unsupported by the available evidence.
Raw Farm’s Position: No Evidence, No Recall
Raw Farm is responding through its website and Instagram (@raw_farm_usa). In posts published today, the company stated that all of its products have been confirmed negative for all harmful bacteria, including E. coli O157:H7, and that the FDA has found no Raw Farm products testing positive in the marketplace. Raw Farm called the agencies’ statements “egregious and extreme harassment towards our brand.” (Instagram graphic)
In a video statement on Instagram, owner Aaron McAfee said no pathogens have been found in any Raw Farm products and characterized the outbreak announcement as premature. (Instagram video) In a written statement, Raw Farm said it disagrees “100%” with the allegations, is emphatic that this is not a recall, and has identified nine misleading and factually inaccurate statements in the agencies’ communications. The company is “inquiring as to the basis for their extreme overreaction.” The California Department of Food and Agriculture and the State of California are not taking any action. This is an FDA-only action with no state regulatory backing. (Raw Farm)
Critically, the FDA itself acknowledges that no Raw Farm product has tested positive. No Raw Farm-brand cheddar cheese from the relevant time period has tested positive for E. coli. State partners have collected product samples, but results are not yet available. Raw Farm argues this absence of positive product tests undermines the agencies’ case.
What the Agencies Are Claiming
The CDC and FDA say they are investigating a multistate E. coli outbreak they believe is epidemiologically linked to Raw Farm brand raw cheddar cheese. As of March 13, 2026, seven people infected with the outbreak strain have been reported from three states, with illness onset dates ranging from September 1, 2025 to February 13, 2026. Two have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported. (CDC)
Of the three people interviewed so far, all three reported eating Raw Farm brand raw cheddar cheese. Whole genome sequencing showed that bacteria from the sick individuals’ samples are closely related genetically, which the agencies interpret as evidence of a common food source. Exposure data from the remaining four cases has not yet been collected.
The FDA recommended that Raw Farm voluntarily remove its raw cheese products from commerce. Raw Farm declined.
How the Agencies Build a Case Without a Positive Product Test
No Raw Farm product has tested positive, and product sample results are still pending. Regulatory agencies typically act on epidemiological signals before lab work is complete, treating patient interviews and whole genome sequencing of clinical samples as sufficient indicators of a common source. That approach has drawn scrutiny in some past investigations where the implicated product was never confirmed as the source. The investigation here remains open, and the evidentiary basis for the advisory rests entirely on interviews and genomic relatedness, not a confirmed positive from any Raw Farm product.
The RFK Jr. Factor: Left on Read
The advisory comes from an agency that operates under HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a known Raw Farm customer and longtime raw milk advocate who promised before taking office that the “FDA’s war on public health is about to end.” In May 2025, Kennedy sat in the White House and drank a shot of raw milk to celebrate the release of the MAHA Report, his administration’s marquee public health document.
That posture has not translated into action. According to a January 2026 Mother Jones article, McAfee’s only direct contact with Kennedy was a single text message in March 2025, in which Kennedy indicated they would discuss raw milk once FDA Commissioner Marty Makary was confirmed. Makary was confirmed within two weeks. Kennedy did not follow up. McAfee says he attempted to reach him through every available channel, including Nicole Shanahan, Kennedy’s former running mate and a past visitor to Raw Farm, with no result. “I emailed him, texted him, contacted the people who knew him,” McAfee told Mother Jones. “Nobody could get ahold of him and there was no response.”
Earlier in 2025, a Kennedy HHS staffer had encouraged McAfee to submit regulatory proposals, which he did. His subsequent request for a meeting with FDA officials was declined in a form letter stating the agency “remains open to dialogue with the raw milk industry.” HHS responded to press inquiries by saying Kennedy “supports informed choice and full transparency in food policy.” No regulatory changes have followed. (RFK Jr. Leaves Mark McAfee on Read)
By January 2026, McAfee had soured on the prospect of working with the administration entirely. “Washington has become a three ring circus I don’t want to be associated with,” he told Mother Jones.
The FDA is also operating with significantly fewer resources. In April 2025, following planned layoffs of approximately 3,500 FDA employees as part of a broader HHS restructuring, the agency suspended its proficiency testing program for Grade A raw milk and finished dairy products — a suspension covered in detail previously. An internal FDA email obtained by Reuters stated that the agency’s Moffett Center laboratory was “no longer able to provide laboratory support for proficiency testing and data analysis.” Kennedy had previously assured the public that food and drug safety inspectors would not be affected by the cuts. (CNBC, April 2025) State-level milk testing requirements remain in effect and continue to be carried out by the states and state-approved labs, but FDA-affiliated third-party labs now operate with less federal oversight. Whether that reduction in capacity has any bearing on the scope or timing of this advisory is not known. What is documented is that the agency issuing it has fewer dairy safety resources than it did a year ago.
What Happens Next
The investigation remains active. Product sample results from state partners are pending and will be a pivotal data point in either supporting or undermining the agencies’ allegations. Additional illness reports may also emerge in the coming weeks, as it typically takes three to four weeks after exposure for cases to be confirmed and linked to an outbreak cluster.
Raw Farm is not backing down. The company has halted interstate shipments of raw milk and raw milk products in compliance with federal interstate commerce law, but maintains that its cheese is safe and that the federal agencies have not met the evidentiary bar required to justify their advisory. The response from Raw Farm’s customer base has been vocal. Its Instagram posts on the matter have drawn hundreds of likes and comments, with customers expressing continued loyalty and support.
Sources: CDC Investigation Update, March 15, 2026 | Raw Farm Official Statement, March 16, 2026 | Raw Farm Instagram | RFK Jr. Leaves Mark McAfee on Read | Mother Jones, January 2026 | CNBC / Reuters, April 2025 | Raw Milk Testing Continues as the FDA Shrinks
