Raw Farm LLC, owned by Mark McAfee, has become all too familiar to food safety officials. The company has been repeatedly linked to foodborne illness outbreaks, and since rebranding from Organic Pastures to Raw Farm in 2020, the pattern appears to have worsened rather than improved.
Still, despite that history, this latest development is surprising.
On March 15, 2026 (two days before I spoke to TV5 Monde about Raw Farm’s problematic performance), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced another outbreak. What makes this particularly surprising is how familiar it feels.
Once again, Raw Farm’s raw milk cheddar cheese was identified as a likely source. Again, the pathogen is E. coli O157:H7. There are seven diseases identified, more than half of which occur in children under 3 years of age. This is not just another outbreak. It’s repetition.
A pattern that’s hard to ignore
A quick look at Raw Farm’s outbreak history over the past three years paints a grim picture in which serious illness is not an isolated event but a recurring event.
- May 2023: Campylobacter outbreak linked to raw milk
- August 2023: Salmonella outbreak linked to pasteurized cheese
- October 2023: Large-scale salmonella outbreak linked to raw milk, significantly affecting children.
- February 2024: First E. coli O157:H7 outbreak linked to raw cheddar cheese.
- November 2024: Detection of avian influenza in raw milk (1st recovery)
- December 2024: Avian flu recall expanded; Consumption-related animal deaths
- March 2026: Second E. coli O157:H7 outbreak linked to raw cheddar cheese.
Cheddar cheese outbreak in 2024
The parallels with the 2024 outbreak are difficult to ignore.
In February 2024, the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) investigated a multistate outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 associated with Raw Farm’s raw cheddar cheese, including both block and shredded cheese.
Eleven people across five states have fallen ill. Five people were hospitalized. The pair developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious and potentially life-threatening complication that can lead to kidney failure.
Raw Farm launched the recall on February 16, 2024, but suddenly rescinded it just 10 days later, even though the federal agency identified the cheese as the confirmed source of the outbreak.
Cheddar Cheese Outbreak in 2026: Deja Vu
Now, in 2026, history is repeating itself.
Federal and state health officials are investigating a new multistate outbreak linked again to Raw Farm’s raw cheddar cheese. At least seven people across California, Florida and Texas have been infected with E. coli O157:H7. More than half are children under 3 years of age.
The FDA once again identified the cheese as a “possible source” and recommended a voluntary recall. Raw Farm said no.
Increasing alerts and calls for action
This refusal did not go unnoticed.
Congressional Food Safety Caucus members Rosa DeLauro, CT, Sanford D. Bishop Jr., GA, Jan Schakowsky, IL, Chellie Pingree, ME, André Carson, IN, Alma Adams, NC, Mike Quigley, IL, Seth Moulton, MA, Grace Meng, NY, and Mark Takano, CA are now urging the FDA to take the rare step of issuing a mandatory recall. Their message is clear: Get your product off store shelves now.
In a joint statement, they highlighted that several people have already been hospitalized and that young children have been disproportionately affected.
“This outbreak has put two people in the hospital and sickened several others. More than half of the illnesses occurred in children under the age of 3. This is intolerable. If Raw Farm refuses to take unsafe products off the market, the FDA should use its mandatory recall powers to take them to court. The company should not flatly refuse to recommend a recall. This would put consumers’ health at risk to protect the company’s profits.
The FDA must take action to ensure that consumers are not subject to the whims of corporations that put profits ahead of public health. And if mandated authority needs to be strengthened, the Food Safety Commission stands ready to address this issue at FDA’s request.
Secretary Kennedy’s association with Raw Farm and the FDA’s lack of action raise serious questions. At the very least, this is a potentially conflict-of-interest issue. “At worst, Secretary Kennedy is once again playing a dangerous game with the health of the American people.”
Raw Farm is the largest producer of unpasteurized dairy products in the United States, with a loyal consumer base that includes celebrities such as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
The situation raises uncomfortable questions about enforcement, accountability and whether existing food safety authorities can be fully utilized. At some point, recurring outbreaks start to look less like bad luck and more like systemic failures.
It’s the same product. Same pathogen. The same results are especially true for children. How many outbreaks will it take before decisive regulatory action is taken?
