A Sierra Nevada Graziers raw milk cheese E. coli outbreak has sickened at least 13 people in nine states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). More than half of the people in this outbreak are children ages five and younger.
The case count by state is: California (3), Colorado (1), Georgia (1), Kentucky (1), Michigan (1), Nevada (3), Oregon (1), Tennessee (1), and Utah (1). The patient age range is from one to 58 years, with a median age of five. Illness onset dates range from July 7, 2026 to August 26, 2026.
Eight patients in this outbreak have been hospitalized. Three of them have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a type of kidney failure that is common in E. coli patients who are five years old and younger.
Patients have been interviewed about the foods they ate the week before they got sick. Of the nine people interviewed, nine, or 100%, reported eating Sierra Nevada Cheese Company’s Grazier’s raw milk cheese. This percentage is signifcnalty higher than the 4.9% of respondents who said they ate unpasteurized, or raw, milk cheese in the FoodNet Population Survey over the same period of time.
DNA fingerprinting, or whole genome sequencing, performed on patient isolates shows that bacteria from sick people are closely related genetically, meaning that people in this outbreak likely got sick from eating the same food.
This cheese has not yet been recalled. If you have any of this cheese in your home, do not eat it. You can throw it away in a secure trash can after first double bagging it so other people can’t see it, or you can take it back to the store where you purchased it for a full refund.
The cheese is available in Sharp Cheddar, Jalapeno Jack, Monterey Jack, and Medium Cheddar flavors. If you did eat any of this cheese, monitor your health for the symptoms of an E. coli infection or HUS for the next 10 days. If you or anyone in your family does get sick, take them to a doctor as soon as possible.
