Raw milk cheddar recalled after Maryland testing finds two Shiga toxin-producing E. coli strains

On October 15, 2026, Family Farmstead Dairy of Worcester, New York recalled one lot of Family Farmstead Raw Mild Cheddar Cheese, lot code and best-by date 7/22/27, because it may be contaminated with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) O26:H11 and O45:H2. According to the company announcement posted by FDA, the problem was found when a sample in Maryland tested under LFFM, FDA's Laboratory Flexible Funding Model for state labs, isolated two STEC strains in two samples of the 8 oz A2 raw cheddar. The cheese went to grocers in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland, Virginia and Massachusetts and may have reached other states through downstream distributors. The company updated its announcement the same day to correct the distribution pattern and serotype, and no illnesses had been reported.

The recall comes while FDA and CDC investigate a separate multistate outbreak of E. coli O26:H11 infections linked to Sierra Nevada Graziers grass-fed raw milk cheeses, which were recalled on September 24, 2026. FDA's outbreak advisory, last updated October 9, lists CDC's count of 13 illnesses, 8 hospitalizations and 3 cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome, with no deaths, in California, Colorado, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon, Tennessee and Utah. The advisory also notes that the recalled cheeses were distributed to the Republic of Korea. Neither FDA notice connects the two products.