The Raw Farm raw Cheddar cheese E. coli outbreak has ended with at least 11 people sick in five states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Five people were hospitalized beaus they were so sick. No recall was issued, although the CDC is warning against eating all raw cheese products from this firm.
The raw cheddar cheese that sick people may have eaten included original and jalapeño flavors. All sizes of blocks with best by dates through 10/4/2024 and all sizes of shredded cheese packages with best by dates through 5/10/2024 were included in that warning.
The patient case count by state is: California (4), Colorado (3), New Jersey (1), Texas (1), and Utah (2). This case count has not changed since the last update was issued on February 28, 2024. Illness onset dates ranged from October 18, 2023 to February 5, 2024. Two people developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which is a type of kidney failure that can be deadly.
The patient age range is from 2 to 75 years. State and local health officials interviewed people about the foods they ate before they got sick. Of the 10 people interviewed, seven specifically said they ate Raw Farm raw cheddar cheese. That percentage was significantly higher than the 4.9% of respondents who reported eating any raw milk cheese in the FoodNet Population Survey.
In addition, whole genome sequencing showed that bacteria from all patient isolates were closely related genetically. This suggests that people sickened in this outbreak got sick from eating the same food.
Officials in California, Colorado, and Utah collected various Raw Farm products for testing, including raw milk, raw butter, raw cheddar cheese, and raw kefir. No product samples were positive for E. coli.
If you have eaten Raw Farms raw cheddar cheese and have been ill with the symptoms of E. coli or HUS, see your doctor. You could be part of this outbreak.
If you or a loved one have been sickened with an E. coli food poisoning infection or hemolytic uremic syndrome, please contact our experienced attorneys for help with a possible lawsuit at 1-888-377-8900 or text us at 612-261-0856. Our firm represents clients in lawsuits against grocery stores, restaurants, and food processors.
