Raw Farm Nationwide Raw Cheddar Recall Officially Closed
The E. coli investigation that led to a voluntary recall of Raw Farm raw cheddar cheese is officially closed. The CDC declared the outbreak over on April 30, 2026, and Raw Farm has since retracted the recall and resumed national distribution through KeHE, restocking more than 100,000 pounds of raw cheddar at wellness and natural grocery stores across the country.
The closure brings an end to a two-month episode in which Raw Farm maintained throughout that no laboratory evidence supported the agencies’ advisory. No outbreak strain was ever confirmed in a retail product.
The Outbreak, Briefly
Federal and state investigators linked nine illnesses in California, Florida, and Texas to Raw Farm raw cheddar cheese and raw milk. Illness onset dates ranged from September 1, 2025 to February 20, 2026. Three patients were hospitalized and one developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a serious kidney complication. More than half the cases involved children under five. No deaths were reported.
Epidemiologic evidence pointed to Raw Farm as the likely source. Of eight outbreak patients interviewed, seven reported consuming Raw Farm products before falling ill. Genetic sequencing confirmed the E. coli strains from each patient were closely related, consistent with a single common source. Raw Farm disputed the agencies’ framing from the first day the advisory went public, calling their statements premature and the alleged link unsupported by the available evidence.
No Pathogen Found in Product
No contaminated product was ever confirmed. By late March, both internal and government-collected samples had returned entirely negative, a result Raw Farm founder Mark McAfee described as vindicating its refusal to recall. The FDA ultimately collected and analyzed 19 samples of the brand’s cheddar products. One tested positive for E. coli O157:H7, but whole genome sequencing showed that strain matched a different 2025 outbreak, not the current one. The cheese that tested positive was never shipped to stores.
Epidemiological evidence established a statistical link between Raw Farm products and illness, but laboratory confirmation of the outbreak strain in a retail product was never achieved. Raw Farm maintained throughout that the absence of a confirmed adulterated lot was sufficient reason to reject the recall.
How the Recall Unfolded
The recall itself played out in stages. For several weeks, Raw Farm declined the FDA’s recommendation to pull its cheddar products from shelves, maintaining that no laboratory evidence supported the action.
The company ultimately issued a voluntary recall of seven cheddar products on April 2, 2026. The original notice, covered here at the time of issuance, described the action as being “performed under protest” and “as a path forward,” language the company subsequently withdrew in an April 7 update. The revised statement read: “While Raw Farm reserves its rights and disputes being the cause of this outbreak, in the interest of public health and safety, Raw Farm issues this voluntary recall.”
The recall covered specific batch lots, including original and jalapeño cheddar blocks in 8 oz, 16 oz, and 80 oz sizes, and original shredded cheddar in 8 oz and 80 oz formats, with expiration dates running through September 2026. Raw Farm specified that all other products remained unaffected.
Once the CDC declared the outbreak over, Raw Farm withdrew the recall entirely. The company stated that all product date codes were confirmed safe and directed retailers to release any quarantined inventory and resume normal sales.
Congressional Hearing
The investigation became the subject of a congressional hearing. The Food Safety Caucus sent an open letter in March, and on April 29 a House Subcommittee on Health hearing examined the episode. Legislators asked why the FDA had not invoked its mandatory recall authority and whether Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had played any role in the agency’s handling of the investigation. No direct evidence of his involvement was presented. Steven Mandernach, executive director of the Association of Food and Drug Officials, testified that the FDA has used mandatory recall authority perhaps only twice in its history.
Why There Was Nothing for FDA to Formally “Lift”
Because the recall was voluntary and originated with Raw Farm rather than the FDA, there was no federal order to lift. The FDA investigated, recommended action, and documented the outbreak, but the recall itself was Raw Farm’s act. Retracting it was Raw Farm’s prerogative once the CDC closed the investigation.
A mandatory recall, which the FDA can issue under the Food Safety Modernization Act when a company refuses and reasonable evidence of serious harm exists, was never invoked. The voluntary recall expired on Raw Farm’s own terms.
Raw Farm Is Back in National Distribution
Raw Farm announced the KeHE restock on Facebook and Instagram days after the CDC’s April 30 outbreak closure, stating that over 100,000 pounds of raw cheddar is rolling out nationwide through KeHE and that stores can order through their KeHE rep. KeHE is one of the largest natural and specialty food distributors in the country, and reentry into its catalog restores Raw Farm’s national retail presence at wellness and independent grocery stores.
