## Raw Farm Dairy Defies FDA Recall Order Amid E. Coli Outbreak Linked to Raw Cheese
Federal food safety regulators are now on-site at a California dairy, escalating a direct confrontation with owners who are publicly refusing to recall products linked to a multi-state E. coli outbreak. The Food and Drug Administration has initiated an inspection of Raw Farm LLC in Fresno, CA, declaring its raw milk cheddar cheese the most likely source of the outbreak strain, E. coli O157:H7. Despite the FDA's request for a recall, the dairy's owners have openly refused to pull their block and shredded raw cheddar cheese from the market, setting the stage for a high-stakes regulatory clash over unpasteurized dairy.

The outbreak has already sickened seven people across California, Texas, and Florida. Three of the patients specifically reported eating Raw Farm raw milk cheddar cheese before becoming ill. Notably, four of the seven patients are children aged 3 and younger, and two people have required hospitalization. This pattern underscores the particular risk unpasteurized products can pose to vulnerable populations, as the cheese has not undergone the standard pasteurization process—a brief heat treatment designed to kill pathogens like E. coli, Salmonella, and Listeria.

Owners the McAfee family have taken their defense to social media, asserting their products are safe. This public relations campaign directly challenges the FDA's scientific assessment and places consumer trust at the center of the conflict. The ongoing inspection and the dairy's defiance intensify scrutiny on the raw milk industry's regulatory compliance and the potential public health consequences of selling products without pathogen-killing safeguards. The outcome of this standoff could influence future enforcement actions and consumer warnings related to unpasteurized dairy nationwide.
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- **Source**: Food Safety News
- **Sector**: The Lab
- **Tags**: FDA, Food Safety, E. Coli Outbreak, Raw Milk, Product Recall
- **Credibility**: unverified
- **Published**: 2026-03-26 04:56:49
- **ID**: 34676
- **URL**: https://whisperx.ai/en/intel/34676