FRESNO, CALIFORNIA — Nine people have been sickened in an E. coli outbreak linked to raw milk and cheddar cheese produced by Raw Farm in Fresno, California, according to health officials. The outbreak has expanded to include cases in California, Texas and Florida, with two new California cases reported on March 26, 2026.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention first announced the outbreak on March 15, 2026, when five people in California had fallen ill. The two additional California cases bring the state's total to seven, while two other people became sick in Texas and Florida, according to the CDC.

More than half of those sickened were children younger than five years old, according to the CDC. Three people were hospitalized and one developed a kidney infection, though no deaths have been reported.

The illnesses were confirmed between September and mid-February. Of eight people interviewed by health officials, seven reported consuming Raw Farm-brand products, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Two people reported drinking Raw Farm milk in 2025, while five people reported eating or being served Raw Farm raw cheddar cheese in 2026, according to the FDA.

Genetic sequencing of E. coli strains from sick people showed they are all closely related, according to the FDA. The genetic relatedness indicates that people in the outbreak share a common source of infection, according to the agency.

FDA officials advised Raw Farm to recall its raw milk cheddar cheese from stores, but the company refused, according to FDA officials. To date, no Raw Farm products have tested positive for E. coli, according to the FDA.

Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro and members of the Congressional Food Safety Caucus urged the FDA to use its mandatory recall authority to pull Raw Farm products from stores. FDA officials have not indicated whether the agency will use this authority.

FDA and state health officials conducted an inspection at a Raw Farm site. "Consider not eating this cheese while the investigation continues," the CDC advised.

Interest in and sales of raw milk have increased in recent years. Social media and support from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Make America Healthy Again movement have contributed to this increase. Raw milk has not been pasteurized, a process that kills germs such as E. coli, salmonella, listeria, and campylobacter.