Raw Farm Cheese Sickened 9 in E. coli Outbreak as FDA Closed Probe Without Action
Updated
Updated · CNN · Jun 14
Raw Farm Cheese Sickened 9 in E. coli Outbreak as FDA Closed Probe Without Action
3 articles · Updated · CNN · Jun 14
Summary
Nine people in three states were infected in a Raw Farm cheese-linked E. coli outbreak announced March 15; three were hospitalized and more than half the patients were under 5.
FDA inspectors found one cheese sample positive for E. coli and records showing some batches tested presumptively positive for pathogens even after 60 days of aging, undercutting Raw Farm’s safety claims.
Raw Farm resisted recalling the cheese, issued a voluntary recall only after an FDA threat 18 days later, and founder Mark McAfee kept disputing the outbreak link while saying the products were back in stores.
On April 30, the FDA closed the investigation without enforcement action, even though McAfee had previously said milk flagged for pathogens was diverted into cheese and the farm has been tied to at least eight outbreaks since 2006.