You bought it because it was grass-fed. Artisan. Raw milk. The good stuff. Maybe at Whole Foods, maybe at the farmers market, maybe online.
Thirteen people who also bought it are now sick. Eight of them are in the hospital. Three have developed kidney failure.
More than half of the victims are children five years old and under.
Sierra Nevada Cheese Company has recalled all of its Graziers grass-fed raw milk cheeses following a multistate E. coli outbreak that has spread across nine states. The FDA and CDC confirmed the recall on September 28. The investigation is ongoing, which typically means the number of cases will rise.
What's Being Recalled
All four Graziers raw milk varieties are included:
- Graziers Grass-Fed Raw Medium Cheddar
- Graziers Grass-Fed Raw Sharp Cheddar
- Graziers Grass-Fed Raw Monterey Jack
- Graziers Grass-Fed Raw Jalapeño Jack
The cheese was sold in 8-ounce and 16-ounce packages at retailers nationwide and online. Food service locations and wholesalers also received 5-pound loaves that were repackaged for sale. All lots are included in the recall — there is no specific lot number to check. If you have any Graziers raw milk cheese from Sierra Nevada Cheese Company, do not eat it.
If you refrigerated or froze the cheese without the original packaging and can no longer identify it — throw it away.
The Strain and What It Does
The outbreak is caused by E. coli O26:H11 — a strain that produces a toxin capable of causing hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS. Three of the thirteen confirmed patients have developed HUS.
HUS is not a stomach bug. It is a condition in which the toxin produced by E. coli destroys red blood cells and causes them to clog the tiny blood vessels in the kidneys. The kidneys begin to fail. In severe cases, dialysis is required. In young children, it can cause permanent kidney damage.
According to the CDC, children under five are at significantly higher risk of developing HUS from E. coli infection than older children and adults. More than half of the thirteen confirmed cases are children in that age group.
All nine patients who were interviewed by public health officials reported eating Graziers raw milk cheese before becoming ill. Nine for nine.
The Raw Milk Cheese Question Nobody Wants to Answer
Raw milk cheeses — unpasteurized, in the wellness-forward, artisan-food tradition — carry a specific and well-documented risk that pasteurized cheeses do not. Pasteurization kills pathogens like E. coli. Raw milk does not undergo that process, which is part of why raw milk cheese advocates say it tastes better and has more complex flavor.
It is also part of why the FDA and CDC recommend that young children, pregnant people, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems avoid raw milk cheeses entirely. That recommendation exists because of exactly the kind of outbreak that is currently unfolding across nine states.
This is not the first E. coli outbreak linked to raw milk cheese in 2026. In March, Raw Farm LLC recalled its raw cheddar products after a separate E. coli outbreak sickened nine people in three states. Two outbreaks. Nine months. Same product category.
Nine States. More Cases Coming.
The confirmed cases span California, Colorado, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon, Tennessee, and Utah. The CDC notes explicitly that the actual number of people sickened is likely higher than confirmed — many E. coli infections resolve without medical care and never get counted.
The investigation is ongoing. When the FDA says that, it means the case count goes up before it comes down.
If you or your children have eaten Graziers raw milk cheese in recent weeks and are experiencing severe stomach cramps, bloody diarrhea, or vomiting — contact your doctor immediately and mention the recalled product. If a child develops decreased urination, unusual fatigue, or pale skin after an E. coli illness, seek emergency care. These are signs of HUS.
