Raw Milk Cheddar Recalled Nationwide After E. coli Outbreak Hospitalizes Children in Nine States

Federal health investigators are tracing a multistate outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli to a raw milk cheese sold in supermarkets and online nationwide, and the company behind it has pulled every variety of the product from the market rather than wait for investigators to pin down a single bad batch.

Sierra Nevada Cheese Company, based in Willows, California, recalled its full line of Graziers grass-fed raw milk cheeses — medium cheddar, sharp cheddar, jalapeño jack and Monterey jack — after the Food and Drug Administration contacted the firm on September 24 to flag its link to a growing cluster of illnesses. The company agreed the same day to recall the cheese, according to an FDA outbreak notice posted the following day, and the recall now covers all lots and date codes of the four cheeses, sold in 8-ounce and 16-ounce retail packages as well as 5-pound loaves distributed to restaurants, delis and wholesalers.

What Happened

The recall follows the CDC's outbreak investigation into E. coli O26:H11, a Shiga toxin-producing strain capable of triggering severe kidney complications. Investigators interviewed nine of the confirmed patients about what they had eaten in the week before falling ill, and all nine — 100 percent — reported eating Sierra Nevada's Graziers cheese, a rate investigators called far higher than expected if the illnesses were unrelated to the product.

Sierra Nevada Cheese Company has said the illnesses identified so far track most closely to its medium cheddar, but that it chose to recall every Graziers raw milk cheese on the market because the investigation has not yet narrowed the contamination to one specific lot or production date. The company has not disclosed how the bacteria may have entered its raw milk supply, and the FDA says that piece of the investigation is continuing.

The Numbers Behind the Outbreak

As of the CDC's latest count, 13 people across nine states — California, Colorado, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon, Tennessee and Utah — have been confirmed sick, with illness onset dates ranging from July 7 to August 26. Eight of the 13, or about 62 percent, have been hospitalized, and three have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a life-threatening complication in which toxins from the bacteria destroy red blood cells and can shut down the kidneys. No deaths have been reported.

• 13 confirmed illnesses in 9 states
• 8 hospitalizations (about 62% of cases)
• 3 cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome
• Median patient age: 5 years old

The demographic pattern is what most alarmed investigators: the median age of those sickened is just 5, and more than half are children age 5 or younger, according to the agency's case map of where people got sick. The CDC also cautions that the true toll is almost certainly higher, since most people with E. coli infections recover at home without being tested and never show up in official counts.

Why Raw Milk Cheese Carries Extra Risk

Raw milk products occupy a legal gray zone that has made them a recurring source of outbreaks. Unlike pasteurized milk, which is heated to kill pathogens, raw milk retains any bacteria present in the animal or picked up during milking and processing. CDC's own guidance on raw milk warns that unpasteurized dairy can carry Campylobacter, Cryptosporidium, E. coli, Listeria, Brucella and Salmonella, and that children under 5, adults over 65, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems face the greatest danger of severe illness.

"Choose pasteurized milk and dairy products... this is especially important for children under 5."

That advice from the CDC is central to this outbreak, since the population hit hardest — young children — is also the one for whom E. coli infections are most likely to progress to HUS. Federal health officials say roughly 8 in 10 pediatric HUS cases nationally are linked to Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, and the syndrome can cause permanent kidney damage even in patients who survive the acute illness.

Who's Affected, and What Comes Next

Because the cheese was sold both at retail and to food-service accounts, the FDA says anyone who bought Graziers cheese from a grocery store, ordered it online, or was served it at a restaurant or deli in the past several weeks could be at risk, regardless of where in the country they live. The agency is advising consumers not to eat, serve or sell any of the recalled cheese, to check refrigerators and freezers for the four varieties, and to either discard the product or return it to the place of purchase for a refund. People who cannot confirm whether cheese in their kitchen came from a recalled lot are told to throw it out rather than take the risk.

Anyone who ate the cheese and is now experiencing severe stomach cramps, diarrhea — especially if it's bloody — or vomiting is urged to contact a healthcare provider, particularly if a young child shows reduced urination, unusual paleness, unexplained bruising or extreme fatigue, all early warning signs of HUS. Food-safety attorney Bill Marler, who has represented plaintiffs in past E. coli cases, flagged the outbreak's child-heavy toll as especially concerning given how severe HUS can be in young patients.

The CDC and FDA say the investigation remains active, and case counts could still rise as more state health departments report illnesses and as people who got sick earlier in the summer are retroactively linked to the cluster. Neither agency has said whether the contamination originated on the farm, during cheesemaking or in distribution, and national outlets have continued following the story as the recall spreads through grocery chains this weekend. For now, health officials say the safest course for consumers is simple: if it's Graziers raw milk cheese, don't eat it.