Raw milk cheese tied to an E. coli outbreak was pulled from stores nationwide

Four varieties of Graziers raw milk cheese were recalled nationwide in late September 2026 after the CDC and FDA tied them to a multistate outbreak of Escherichia coli O26:H11. As of September 25, the outbreak had sickened 13 people in nine states, hospitalized eight and caused hemolytic uremic syndrome, a kidney complication, in three. No deaths have been reported.

The maker, Sierra Nevada Cheese Company of Willows, California, agreed on September 24 to recall all Graziers raw milk cheeses after the FDA notified it of the outbreak. The notice is dated September 28 and was posted on September 29.

A nationwide recall of four Graziers cheeses

The FDA-posted recall notice covers Monterey Jack and Jalapeno Jack in 8-ounce packages and 5-pound loaves, Medium Cheddar in 8-ounce and 16-ounce packages, 5-pound loaves and 40-pound blocks, and Sharp Cheddar in 8-ounce packages, 5-pound loaves and 40-pound blocks. The cheese was distributed nationwide through distributors, retailers and direct customers, and the FDA’s outbreak page adds that it was sold online, describing the 5-pound loaves as wholesale formats and the 8-ounce and 16-ounce packages as retail ones. That mix of formats means the product could have reached cheese counters, restaurants and home refrigerators by different routes, and the notice covers every listed size. The notice says illnesses are “epidemiologically associated with consumption of Graziers Raw Milk Medium Cheddar.”

No lot code, date code or production date was identified, so shoppers cannot narrow a pantry check to a single batch. The CDC notes the cheese has extended shelf stability, which means older packages may still be in refrigerators or freezers, and it advises checking refrigerators and freezers for any of the recalled products and throwing them out or returning them if found.

The recall followed the outbreak by weeks. The last illness in the CDC count began on August 26, and the company agreed to recall on September 24, 29 days later. Public health agencies usually need that time to collect interviews, sequence samples and match the genetic fingerprints, and the CDC announced its investigation on September 25, the day after the company’s agreement. The FDA’s outbreak page ties the recall to the agency’s own contact with the firm rather than to a company-initiated finding.

Traceback by interview and genome sequencing

The CDC’s investigation update shows how investigators got from sick people to a brand. Illnesses began between July 7 and August 26, 2026. Of nine patients interviewed by state and local health officials, all nine reported eating Graziers raw milk cheese, a share the CDC compares with the 4.9 percent of survey respondents who report eating any unpasteurized milk cheese. A gap that wide between patients and the general public is what turns a food history into a lead.

Laboratory evidence pointed the same way. Whole genome sequencing through PulseNet showed that bacteria from the patients’ samples were closely related genetically, which indicates a common food source. The FDA’s outbreak investigation page lists cases in California, Colorado, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon, Tennessee and Utah. It states that the agency’s work to determine the source of contamination, and whether other products are affected, is ongoing.

Shiga toxin-producing O26 and young children

E. coli O26:H11 is a Shiga toxin-producing strain. The CDC’s outbreak notice describes the symptoms as severe stomach cramps, diarrhea that is often bloody, and vomiting, and says anyone with diarrhea lasting more than two days, bloody stools, excessive vomiting or signs of dehydration should seek care. People at higher risk are advised to choose pasteurized dairy products. The recall notice adds that the bacteria can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, elderly people and others with weakened immune systems.

The patient profile fits that warning. Cases range from age 1 to 58 with a median of 5, 62 percent of patients are female, and more than half are children 5 or younger. Eight of the 13 were hospitalized, which the CDC puts at 62 percent of patients with available information. The agency says the true number of illnesses is likely much higher than 13, because many people recover without being tested.

Source of the contamination still unidentified

The sources do not say where the bacteria entered the cheese, and the FDA page reports no sampling results. Food Safety News, which covered the outbreak, also recalled an August 2025 episode in which California’s State Veterinarian ordered a statewide recall and quarantine of Sierra Nevada’s Bella Capra raw goat milk cheddar after Listeria monocytogenes was detected, a different product and a different pathogen from this one.

The company’s recall contact is (530) 934-8662 or [email protected]. The CDC’s tally of 13 illnesses reflects data through September 25, and the latest illness it includes began on August 26, so cases from the weeks since remain uncounted in the public figures.

This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Morning Overview editors prior to publication.

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