Raw Farm Cheese Recall 2026: Mark McAfee Breaks Down What Happened With the FDA

Raw Farm USA is the largest raw dairy farm in the United States and one of the most scrutinized. In early 2026, the FDA linked the Fresno, California operation to a multi-state E. coli outbreak and pressured the company to recall its cheese. Raw Farm complied, under protest, after weeks of disputed exchanges with regulators. In a May 2026 interview, founder Mark McAfee gave a detailed account of the recall, the testing data the company presented, and the interactions with the FDA that preceded and followed the decision. The following is a factual summary of his statements.

The FDA’s E. Coli Allegation Against Raw Farm Cheese

• The FDA alleged that Raw Farm cheese was connected to a multi-state E. coli outbreak. Raw Farm publicly disputed the initial allegation from the outset.
• Raw Farm president Aaron McAfee publicly denied the allegations and initially refused to issue a voluntary recall.
• The illnesses in question occurred around September through November 2025.
• Nine cases were under FDA review over that six-month period.
• Two of the nine cases were not confirmed as genetically related via whole genome sequencing but had consumed raw dairy.
• Only two of the ill individuals were seen at a hospital. The remainder recovered at home.
• No one was hospitalized at the time the FDA demanded the recall.

Raw Farm’s Internal Pathogen Testing

• Raw Farm operates an on-farm pathogen laboratory using PCR testing.
• The company conducted approximately 14,000 tests on all products, including cheese, butter, cream, and milk, from September through February.
• Testing ran at roughly 80 to 90 tests per day.
• All 14,000 tests returned negative for E. coli O157:H7. Raw Farm published the results as they accumulated throughout the investigation; a full breakdown is covered in Raw Farm E. coli tests return negative, March 2026.
• PCR testing used an 18-hour broth culture enrichment period before analysis, which McAfee described as capable of detecting pathogens at extremely low concentrations.
• The recalled cheese is aged 60 days with salt, is low moisture, and has a low pH, factors McAfee cited as additional safety characteristics relevant to the recall allegation.

State-Level Testing on Raw Farm Cheese

• Texas, Florida, and California each conducted independent product testing on the Raw Farm cheese batches implicated by the FDA.
• All state-level tests returned completely negative for pathogens.
• California had no product disruption. The FDA’s concern was specific to interstate commerce of raw cheese sold in Texas and Florida.

What Evidence the FDA Had and What It Refused to Provide

Raw Farm’s central argument throughout the dispute was that the FDA never produced evidence directly linking Raw Farm’s products to the illnesses. McAfee described the agency’s conduct during the investigation as follows.

• The FDA’s case rested entirely on epidemiological evidence: Pulsenet whole genome sequencing of fecal samples matched across cases.
• The FDA had not conducted its own product testing prior to demanding the recall.
• All product tests performed by state agencies returned negative.
• Raw Farm requested the consumer questionnaires completed by the ill individuals. The FDA refused to provide them.
• Raw Farm requested causation evidence, meaning a pathogen sample from their product matched to a sick consumer. The FDA did not provide it.
• FDA representatives told Raw Farm they were “asking too many questions.”
• FDA representatives conducted meetings via Zoom but declined to turn on their cameras.

Why Raw Farm Issued the Voluntary Recall Under Protest

• Raw Farm initially refused the recall and requested data and questionnaires before taking action.
• The FDA said resolving the investigation through normal channels could take months.
• Raw Farm issued the voluntary recall “under protest” as the fastest available path to ending the FDA investigation. Full details of that decision are covered in the April 2026 recall announcement.
• Tens of thousands of pounds of cheese were destroyed. McAfee placed the total loss at $2 million.
• All recalled batches had already tested negative by both Raw Farm and all three state agencies.
• Because the FDA lacked causation evidence, it could not issue a mandatory recall. The Food Safety Modernization Act requires demonstrated causation for a mandatory recall order.
• Mark McAfee was traveling in Portugal during the escalation and managed the response remotely.

The FDA’s Request to Pasteurize and Label Products as Raw

Separate from the recall dispute, McAfee described a direct instruction from an FDA inspector that he said illustrated the agency’s broader posture toward raw dairy labeling.

• In a separate on-premises FDA inspection, inspector Jane Choy verbally instructed Raw Farm to pasteurize its cheese and then label it as raw.
• McAfee stated this practice is already widespread in retail: most products labeled “raw cheese” are heated during production but not to the legal threshold that triggers pasteurization licensing requirements.
• According to McAfee, the FDA told Raw Farm it is the last cheese brand in U.S. retail selling truly unheated cheese.
• Raw Farm refused to comply, characterizing the instruction as fraud against consumers.
• Under federal code, the term “raw” is not defined for dairy. “Pasteurized” is defined and requires a licensed pasteurization process. Heating milk below that threshold does not legally constitute pasteurization, which McAfee argued creates a labeling gap most cheese producers exploit.

Commercial and Legal Fallout from the Raw Farm Recall

• Retail partners dropped Raw Farm cheese in 13 states following FDA public statements associated with the recall.
• The California Department of Public Health issued statements advising consumers to avoid all raw dairy, which McAfee said went beyond the scope of the cheese-specific allegation.
• Sovereign immunity prevents Raw Farm from seeking financial damages from the FDA.
• Raw Farm intends to file in federal court to compel the FDA to answer the questions it refused to address during the recall process.

McAfee’s full account was given on the Grounded Wellness podcast. The recall itself has since concluded; for a full timeline of how it was resolved, see Raw Farm recall over, 2026. The federal labeling question McAfee raised, specifically whether the term “raw” on cheese products requires any standard of heat treatment, remains unaddressed by federal regulators.