As of October 16, 2026, Family Farmstead Dairy, LLC of Worcester, New York is recalling one lot of its Family Farmstead Raw Mild Cheddar Cheese, sold in 8-ounce packages to grocers in New York and New Jersey, because a Maryland laboratory found Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, the O157:H7 type, in two samples. The lot code and best-by date are both 7/22/27. No illnesses have been reported. FDA posted the company’s notice October 15, 2026.
The recalled cheese has a best-by date nine months away, so it is still in refrigerators.
Most recalls involve food that is gone by the time the notice appears. This one does not. The best-by date is July 22, 2027, and a block of aged cheddar can sit in a cheese drawer for weeks. Look for clear plastic packaging with green, red and white labeling on the front and back, the words Family Farmstead Raw Mild Cheddar, and the date 7/22/27. The testing paperwork calls the same cheese Family Farmstead A2 Raw Cheddar, so check the lot date rather than the exact product name. Only the 7/22/27 lot is recalled; no other Family Farmstead Dairy products are included.
A state lab found the bacteria before anyone got sick.
The notice says the contamination was found in an LFFM sample in Maryland. LFFM is FDA’s Laboratory Flexible Funding Model, a cooperative agreement that pays state food laboratories to pull products off shelves, test them for pathogens and sequence what they find. The Maryland lab isolated two strains of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli from two 8-ounce packages. That is the system working the way it is supposed to: a positive test, a recall, and no one in the hospital. The Walmart bettergoods fettuccine and Starfish Seafood Trio Listeriarecalls this fall were found the same way.
The notice does not say how the cheese reached Maryland when the company says it was sold only in New York and New Jersey, how many packages are in the lot, or which stores carried it. As of this morning the company’s own website carries no recall notice.
Raw milk cheddar is aged at least 60 days, and that is not enough to kill E. coli O157:H7.
Federal rules allow cheese made from unpasteurized milk to be sold if it is aged at least 60 days. The rule dates to 1949, more than thirty years before E. coli O157:H7 was recognized as a foodborne pathogen in 1982. Aging lowers the number of bacteria. It does not reliably eliminate them, and it takes only a few dozen O157:H7 cells to cause infection. This recall follows four raw milk cheese E. coli outbreaks in the United States in two and a half years: Raw Farm cheddar in 2024 and again in March 2026, Twin Sisters Creamery in 2025, and the Sierra Nevada Graziers outbreak still open this month with 13 sick, eight hospitalized and three children with kidney failure. Bill Marler is asking FDA to require a warning label on cheese made from unpasteurized milk. This recall is one more reason.
E. coli O157:H7 symptoms usually start three to four days after eating and often include bloody diarrhea.
Most people get sick three to four days after swallowing the bacteria, though it can take as little as one day or as long as ten. The illness usually begins with severe stomach cramps and diarrhea that turns bloody, sometimes with vomiting and a low fever. Most healthy adults recover in about a week. The danger is hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS, a form of kidney failure that develops in roughly 5 to 10 percent of people diagnosed with O157:H7, most of them children under five and older adults. HUS usually appears about a week after the diarrhea starts, often just as the diarrhea seems to be improving. Warning signs are urinating less, extreme tiredness, pale skin, and unexplained bruising.
See a doctor if you ate this cheese and have diarrhea lasting more than three days, diarrhea with blood, a fever above 102 degrees, vomiting that keeps you from holding down liquids, or signs of dehydration. Ask for a stool test for Shiga toxin-producing E. coli; a standard stool culture can miss it. Do not take antibiotics or anti-diarrheal medicine for a suspected O157:H7 infection unless a doctor tells you to, because both have been linked to a higher risk of HUS.
What to do with the cheese.
Do not eat it. Throw it away in a sealed bag or return it to the store for a full refund, and wash the drawer, cutting board and knife it touched with hot soapy water. The company’s customer service line is (607) 397-4044, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern, and its email is customerservice@familyfarmsteaddairy.com. Marler Clark’s coverage of the recall is at Marler Blog, and Food Safety News has the recall report.
Which Family Farmstead cheese is recalled?
Family Farmstead Raw Mild Cheddar Cheese in 8-ounce clear plastic packages with green, red and white labeling, lot code and best-by date 7/22/27, sold to grocers in New York and New Jersey. No other lot and no other Family Farmstead Dairy product is recalled.
Has anyone gotten sick from Family Farmstead raw cheddar?
No illnesses had been reported as of October 15, 2026. The recall was triggered by laboratory testing in Maryland that found two strains of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli in two packages, not by reports of illness.
I ate the recalled cheese. What should I watch for?
Watch for stomach cramps and diarrhea, especially bloody diarrhea, for up to ten days after you ate it. If those symptoms appear, see a doctor, ask for a Shiga toxin test, and mention the recall. Children and older adults should be seen promptly because of the risk of HUS.
E. coli
E. coli O157:H7 is the pathogen that built this firm. The Shiga toxin it produces can destroy red blood cells and shut down the kidneys, and the people it hurts worst are too often children. Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm, is the nation’s leading law firm representing victims of E. coli outbreaks and hemolytic uremic syndrome. The E. coli lawyers of Marler Clark have represented thousands of victims of E. coli and other foodborne illness infections and have recovered over $850 million for clients. Marler Clark is the only law firm in the nation with a practice focused exclusively on foodborne illness litigation. Our E. coli lawyers have litigated E. coli and HUS cases stemming from outbreaks traced to ground beef, raw milk, lettuce, spinach, sprouts and raw milk cheese, against defendants including Jack in the Box, Dole, ConAgra, Cargill and Jimmy John’s, and have represented Brianne Kiner, Stephanie Smith and Linda Rivera. The firm pressed the government to declare E. coli O157:H7, and later six additional Shiga toxin-producing strains, adulterants in ground beef, and has funded independent research on the pathogen.
If you or a family member became ill with an E. coli infection or HUS after consuming food and you are interested in pursuing a legal claim, contact the Marler Clark E. coli attorneys for a free case evaluation at 1-800-884-9840.
FAQ
What is E. coli?
Escherichia coli is a large family of bacteria, most of them harmless. Shiga toxin-producing strains such as O157:H7 cause bloody diarrhea and can lead to kidney failure. They spread through contaminated food and water and from person to person.
What foods cause E. coli outbreaks?
Undercooked ground beef, raw milk and raw milk cheese, leafy greens, sprouts, flour, unpasteurized juice and any food contaminated by animal manure or an infected food handler.
What is HUS, and is it permanent?
Hemolytic uremic syndrome is kidney failure caused by Shiga toxin. Many children recover with dialysis and intensive care, but some are left with permanent kidney damage, high blood pressure or neurological injury, and some die.
Can I sue if I got E. coli from food?
Yes. Food producers and sellers are strictly liable for selling contaminated food. A confirmed infection, a stool sample or whole genome sequencing match, and records of what you ate are the usual proof.
How long do I have to file an E. coli lawsuit?
It depends on the state where you were injured; statutes of limitation run from one to several years, and the clock for children usually runs differently. Contact a lawyer early so evidence is preserved.
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