Family Farmstead raw cheddar recall: corrected the same day, and it is seven states, not two

On October 15, 2026, Family Farmstead Dairy of Worcester, New York, recalled one lot of its Raw Mild Cheddar Cheese for potential E. coli contamination. Most reports say the cheese was sold in New York and New Jersey. That was the first version of the notice. The same day, the company issued a correction: the cheese went to seven states, and the bacteria are two different strains from the one first named.

Which Family Farmstead cheese is recalled

• Family Farmstead Dairy Raw Mild Cheddar Cheese, 8 oz package;
• Lot code 7/22/27, which is also the best-by date (July 22, 2027);
• Made by Family Farmstead Dairy, LLC, Worcester, New York.

The company says no other Family Farmstead Dairy products are included. The notice gives no UPC. Because the lot code is a date, look for 7/22/27 on the package.

What the correction changed

The updated notice, published by the FDA, states that it was issued "to correct the distribution pattern and serotype of E. coli." Side by side:

• E. coli strain: first notice, O157:H7 — correction, O26:H11 and O45:H2.
• States: first notice, New York and New Jersey — correction, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland, Virginia and Massachusetts.

The correction also says the cheese may have reached other states through downstream distributors. If you bought raw cheddar in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Maryland, Virginia or Massachusetts, you would not have known to check from the early coverage. The FDA now redirects the original notice's web address to the corrected one, but articles written in the first hours still carry the old details.

The corrected strains matter less to a shopper than the states do. O157:H7, O26:H11 and O45:H2 all belong to the same dangerous group: Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC). It is the same family as the E. coli O145 behind this month's frozen berry recall.

How it was found

According to the notice, the problem surfaced when a sample tested in Maryland isolated the two STEC strains. No illnesses have been reported. In one place, the notice calls the tested product "Family Farmstead A2 Raw Cheddar," while its title and product details say "Raw Mild Cheddar Cheese"; the lot code, 7/22/27, is the same throughout.

Why raw-milk cheese and STEC are a serious pair

Raw-milk cheese is made from milk that has not been pasteurized, so it does not go through the heating step that kills bacteria such as E. coli. The company's notice describes the risk: STEC infections cause diarrhea, often bloody; most healthy adults recover within a week, but some people — especially young children and older adults — can develop hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a form of kidney failure that can be fatal.

A best-by date in July 2027 also means this cheese can sit in a refrigerator for months.

This recall is separate from the FDA's ongoing investigation into E. coli O26:H11 linked to Graziers raw milk cheeses from the Sierra Nevada Cheese Company, which has made 13 people sick in nine states. The Family Farmstead notice does not mention any link, and the FDA's outbreak page does not mention Family Farmstead.