| Date Posted |
Ref | Pathogen or Cause of Illness |
Product(s) Linked to Illnesses (if any) |
Total Case Count |
Status |
| 2/20/
2024 |
1215 | E. coli O157:H7 |
Raw cheddar cheese |
See Advisory |
Active |
| 1/24/
2024 |
1214 | Listeria monocytogenes |
Queso Fresco and Cotija Cheese |
See Advisory |
Active |
| 11/8/
2023 |
1198 | Elevated Lead & Chromium Levels |
Apple Cinnamon Puree |
See Advisory |
Active |
February 28, 2024
The FDA and CDC, in collaboration with state and local partners, are continuing to investigate a multistate outbreak of E. coli O157:H7.
As this investigation is ongoing, FDA and CDC continue to recommend that people do not eat, sell, or serve RAW FARM-brand Raw Cheddar cheese made by RAW FARM, LLC, of Fresno, CA. State and local public health officials have interviewed people about the foods they ate in the week before they became sick. Nearly all sick people, seven out of nine (78%), reported eating RAW FARM-brand Raw Cheddar cheese and this continues to show these cheeses are the likely source of this outbreak. E. coli can cause an infection that may lead to serious kidney problems. Anyone who ate the raw cheeses and has symptoms of E. coli infection should contact their healthcare provider.
As of February 28, 2024, a total of 11 confirmed infections have been reported from five states, including CA (4), CO (3), NJ (1), TX (1), and UT (2). Whole genome sequencing analysis of E. coli isolates from ill people shows that they are all closely related genetically to each other. This means that people in this outbreak are likely to share a common source of infection. Five patients have been hospitalized; two developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious condition that can lead to kidney failure. No deaths have been reported.
Health officials in CO, CA, and UT have collected various RAW FARM-brand products for testing, including Raw Milk, Raw Butter, Raw Cheddar cheese, and Raw Kefir. So far, no product samples have detected E. coli. While E. coli has not been found in product samples, epidemiologic evidence shows that RAW FARM-brand Raw Cheddar cheese made by RAW FARM, LLC is the likely source of this outbreak. Additional testing is ongoing.
In response to this investigation, on February 16, 2024, RAW FARM, LLC initiated a recall of certain lots of RAW FARM-brand Raw Cheddar cheese currently within shelf life. On February 26, 2024, RAW FARM, LLC withdrew their voluntary recall.
The investigation is ongoing, and FDA will update this advisory should additional consumer safety information become available.
RAW FARM- brand Raw Cheddar blocks and shredded cheese products:
Symptoms begin anywhere from a few days after consuming contaminated food or up to nine days later. Symptoms include severe stomach cramps, diarrhea, fever, nausea, and/or vomiting.
The severity or presence of certain symptoms may depend on the type of pathogenic E. coli causing the infection. Some infections can cause severe bloody diarrhea and lead to life-threatening conditions, such as a type of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), or the development of high blood pressure, chronic kidney disease, and neurologic problems.
Ill people have reported purchasing RAW FARM-brand Raw Cheddar cheese at Sprouts Farmers Market and Bristol Farms. There may be other retailers who are selling the RAW FARM- brand Raw Cheddar cheese and we will update the advisory as more information becomes available.
Total Illnesses: 10
Hospitalizations: 4
Deaths: 0
Last Sample Collection Dates: January 29, 2024
States with Cases: CA, CO, TX, UT
Product Distribution: Nationwide
Affected Product: ONLY Cheese block older than batch 20231113-1 and Shred older than 20240116
Voluntary Recall – E. Coli 0157:H7 STEC – RAW FARM 2024-2-16
| Item | Barcode | Product Description | Package Size (oz) | Brand | Batch or Older |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1075 | 835204000156 | Raw Cheddar Cheese – Pound Block | 16 | RAW FARM | 20231113-1 |
| 1050 | 835204001177 | Raw Cheddar Cheese – Half Pound Block | 8 | RAW FARM | 20231113-1 |
| 1080 | 835204001184 | Raw Cheddar Cheese – Half Pound Shred | 8 | RAW FARM | 20240116 |
On February 15, 2024 Raw Farm was contacted by the FDA and CDC regarding the epidemiological possibility that Raw Farm raw cheddar cheese might have caused some illnesses within a date range of October 18th 2023 and January 31 st 2024. During this period, there were ten fecal samples collected from patients in 4 states that appeared to match one another in the National PULSENET database. Some of these patients did not report consumption of any Raw Farm cheddar cheese or other raw dairy products. In full cooperation and collaboration with the CDC and FDA, Raw Farm is voluntarily recalling the above date codes of Raw Cheddar Cheese. If you have any of these Raw Cheddar Cheese date codes, please do not consume and return for credit.
No product samples consumed by consumers or products available for sale have tested positive for E.Coli 0157:H7. This recall is in abundance of caution strictly based on fecal samples submitted to PULSENET.
Product en-route for delivery, being delivered now, and in the future is not affected by this Voluntary Recall. Only product on the retail shelf, which should have a date code of 20231113-1 or older should be ;:recalled. Shredded cheese with date 20240116 or older should be recalled.
This recall is VOLUNTARY and does not affect any products other than raw cheddar cheese with these specific date codes. For more information, please contact Customer Service at 559-846-9732 or email josh.l@rawfarmusa.com or aaron.m@rawfarmusa.com.
Posted in E.coli, E.coli O157, E.coli O157:H7, FDA, food contamination, food handler, Food Hazard, Food Hygiene, Food Inspections, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, Food Quality, food recall, Food Safety, Food Safety Alert, Food Safety Management, Food Safety Regulations, Food Testing, STEC, STEC E.coli
This study investigated the impact of incorporating gas [air, carbon dioxide (CO2), and nitrogen (N2)] UFB on the potency of chlorine (Cl2; 50, 100, and 200 ppm) and peracetic acid (PAA; 20, 40, and 80 ppm) antimicrobial (AM) solutions against fresh (3 days) and aged (30 days) E. coli O157:H7 biofilms on polypropylene, silicone, and stainless-steel surfaces. The biofilms were statically grown on polypropylene, silicone, and stainless-steel coupons (7.62 × 2.54 cm) at 25°C for 3 or 30 days by immersing in a 3-strain cocktail of E. coli. The incorporation of air, CO2, and N2 UFB in AM solutions resulted in significantly increased log reductions (2.1–3.7 logs) in fresh and aged E. coli biofilms on all surfaces compared to solutions without UFB, except for N2 UFB on aged stainless-steel biofilms and air UFB on aged polypropylene biofilms, which resulted in similar log reductions as solutions without UFB (1.5–2.1 logs).
Introduction: Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157:H7 is one of the notorious foodborne pathogens causing high mortality through the consumption of contaminated food items. The food safety risk from STEC pathogens could escalate when a group of bacterial cells aggregates to form a biofilm. Bacterial biofilm can diminish the effects of various antimicrobial interventions and enhance the pathogenicity of the pathogens. Therefore, there is an urgent need to have effective control measurements. Bacteriophages can kill the target bacterial cells through lytic infection, and some enzymes produced during the infection have the capability to penetrate the biofilm for mitigation compared to traditional interventions. This study aimed to characterize a new Escherichia phage vB_EcoS-UDF157lw (or UDF157lw) and determine its antimicrobial efficacy against E. coli O157:H7.
Posted in Bacteriophage, Biofilm, Decontamination Microbial, E.coli, E.coli O157, E.coli O157:H7, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Food Pathogen, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Pathogen, pathogenic, Phage, Research, STEC, STEC E.coli
This research explores the interaction between Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157:H7 and bacteria species commonly found in beef processing environments, specifically Carnobacterium, Lactobacillus, Comamonas, Raoultella, and Pseudomonas. The study investigated how various environmental conditions impact the formation of biofilms and the ability of O157:H7 to transfer from multispecies biofilm onto beef surfaces. For this purpose, a mixture of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), spoilage bacteria (106 CFU/mL), and E. coli O157 (103 CFU/mL) were combined as follows: LAB (T1): Carnobacterium piscicola + Lactobacillus bulgaricus + O157:H7, an spoilage bacteria (T2): Comamonas koreensis + Raoultella terrigena + O157:H7, an spoilage bacteria (T3): Pseudomonas aeruginosa + C. koreensis strain + O157:H7 and only O157:H7 as control (T4). Multispecies biofilms were developed on thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) and stainless steel (SS) coupons at 10 and 25°C for 6 days, washed and stored for 6, 30, and 60 days at wet (60%–90% RH) and dry (20%–50%, RH) conditions. To evaluate O157:H7 transfer, beef cubes (3 × 3 × 1 cm) were placed on the coupons, followed by a 50-g weight (7.35 kPa). The experiment was repeated three times in triplicate for each strain combination. Results demonstrate that biofilms formed at 10°C were generally weaker (less biomass) than those at 25°C. Regardless of temperature, more viable O157:H7 cells were transferred to beef from moist biofilms on TPU surfaces. At 25°C, T3 biofilm exhibited the lowest O157:H7 transfer to beef by 1.44 log10 CFU/cm2 (p < 0.01). At 10°C, none of the multispecies biofilm (T1–T3) affected the number of O157:H7 transfers to beef (p > 0.05). Notably, O157:H7 was not detected on food contact surfaces with 30 and 60-day-old dry biofilms (T1–T4). Through enrichment, E. coli O157:H7 was recovered from multispecies biofilms T1, T2, and T3. Findings from this study imply that multispecies biofilms contribute to the persistence of O157:H7 under dry conditions, regardless of temperature. These results underscore the intricate influence of multiple environmental factors—including surface type, biofilm age, humidity, temperature, and the presence of other bacterial species—on the risk of beef contamination facilitated by biofilms.
Posted in Biofilm, E.coli O157, E.coli O157:H7, Food Micro Blog, Food Microbiology, Food Microbiology Blog, Food Microbiology Research, Food Microbiology Testing, Lactobacillus, microbial contamination, Microbial growth, Microbial Spoilage, Microbiological Risk Assessment, Microbiology, Microbiology Investigations, Microbiology Risk, Pseudomonas, Research
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