Family Farmstead Raw Cheddar Recall: Check Best By 7/22/27

On October 15, 2026, the FDA posted a company announcement that Family Farmstead Dairy, LLC of Worcester, NY, is recalling one lot of Family Farmstead Dairy Raw Mild Cheddar Cheese, with a lot code and best by date of 7/22/27. The recall follows a Maryland laboratory finding of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) O26:H11 and O45:H2 in the company's product. The notice reports no illnesses to date and tells consumers not to eat the cheese.

Key takeaways

• Family Farmstead Dairy, LLC recalled one lot of Raw Mild Cheddar Cheese (Lot Code and Best By 7/22/27) after an LFFM sample in Maryland isolated STEC O26:H11 and O45:H2 in two samples of Family Farmstead A2 Raw Cheddar, 8 oz, 7/22/27.
• The notice was updated to correct the distribution pattern and the E. coli serotype. The product went to grocers in NY, PA, NJ, CT, MD, VA and MA, with possible further distribution through downstream distributors.
• No illnesses have been reported to date. The company says do not eat the product, and to discard it or return it to the place of purchase for a full refund.
• FDA says children under 5, adults over 65 and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to become severely ill from STEC.
• Units recalled, UPC, other package sizes, retail chains, root cause and any FDA facility inspection were not disclosed.

What happened

The recall was announced by Family Farmstead Dairy, LLC of Worcester, NY, and posted by the FDA on October 15, 2026. According to the notice, the problem was identified when a sample tested in Maryland by an LFFM laboratory isolated two strains of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli in two samples of Family Farmstead A2 Raw Cheddar, an 8 oz package with a 7/22/27 date. The company's notice identifies the potential contaminants as E. coli O26:H11 and O45:H2.

The affected product is listed as Family Farmstead Dairy Raw Mild Cheddar Cheese, Lot Code 7/22/27, with a Best By Date of 7/22/27. The notice does not say whether the A2 Raw Cheddar tested in Maryland and the Raw Mild Cheddar named in the recall are the same product or carry the same label. Readers who see either name on a package should compare the lot code and best by date printed on the package with those in the notice.

What changed

The announcement is an update to the company's earlier release dated 10/15/2026. The company issued the update to correct two things: the distribution pattern and the E. coli serotype. The notice does not describe the earlier distribution pattern in detail, so the corrected version is the one readers should rely on.

The scope of the recall is limited to one lot. The notice states that no other Family Farmstead Dairy products are included. The notice does not say how many units or pounds were recalled, so the size of the affected inventory is unknown from the announcement alone.

Who is affected

According to the notice, the cheese was distributed to grocers in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland, Virginia and Massachusetts. The company also says the product may have reached other states through downstream distributors. The notice does not name any retail chains, so it does not identify specific stores.

The health risk is described most specifically for certain groups. The notice explains that STEC O26:H11 and O45:H2 can cause diarrheal illness, often with bloody stools. Most healthy adults recover within a week. Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a form of kidney failure, can develop in some people and is most likely in young children and the elderly. HUS can cause serious kidney damage and death. The FDA's general E. coli guidance adds that children under 5, adults over 65 and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to become severely ill, and that symptoms can begin a few days to nine days after eating contaminated food.

What it means for shoppers

The practical step in the notice is simple: do not eat the product. The company says to discard it or return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. Households that may have bought the cheese should check the package for the product name, the 8 oz size if printed, and the lot code and best by date of 7/22/27. Because the UPC was not disclosed, the lot code and date printed on the package are the most useful identifiers available in the notice.

Shoppers who have questions can contact Family Farmstead Dairy at (607) 397-4044, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern.

Cheese makers have drawn other FDA actions this year, including a Listeria warning letter to Middlefield Cheese. In a recall, the most important printed details are the product name, lot code and best by date, not the ingredient list.

A useful habit for any recall is to check the product name, size, lot code and date together, then compare them with the official notice. A matching name alone is not enough, because the notice names the recalled product Raw Mild Cheddar while the tested sample was labelled A2 Raw Cheddar.

The background

STEC is a group of E. coli that can produce Shiga toxin. The FDA's consumer guidance says STEC, including O157:H7, can be particularly dangerous, and that raw milk and cheeses are among the primary sources of STEC outbreaks. The recall notice does not link this action to any outbreak, and it reports no illnesses to date.

FDA's raw milk guidance states that the agency banned interstate sale of raw milk in 1987. The same page says that since 1987 there have been 143 reported outbreaks tied to raw milk and raw milk products contaminated with bacteria such as Listeria, Campylobacter, Salmonella and E. coli. That history describes raw milk products as a category. It does not show how often any single product, including this cheese, causes illness.

A separate investigation is underway. FDA and CDC are investigating an E. coli O26:H11 outbreak linked to Sierra Nevada Graziers raw milk cheese. The FDA outbreak advisory reports 13 illnesses, 8 hospitalizations and 3 cases of HUS as of that advisory. The Family Farmstead notice does not connect its recall to that outbreak, and the two actions involve different companies and products. More on that investigation is in our Sierra Nevada Graziers raw milk cheese recall coverage.

What to watch next

Several questions remain open. The notice does not disclose the number of units or pounds recalled, the UPC, package sizes beyond the 8 oz A2 Raw Cheddar sample, the retail chains involved, the root cause of the contamination, or whether FDA has inspected the facility. Those details could appear in future company or agency updates, but the current notice does not say when or whether they will be released. Consumers should watch the FDA recall page for any revised notice, which is how this announcement was corrected.

The evidence in these sources has clear limits. The notice reports no illnesses to date, which means no case has been linked to this lot so far, but it does not establish that no one was exposed. Laboratory results from two samples do not show how widely the strains may have spread in the product or in the supply chain. Public sources describe general STEC risk to certain groups, but they do not describe how any individual will respond to exposure.

To check the ingredients on a cheese package before you buy it, scan the label with the Aurascan app, which explains each ingredient one by one with cited evidence.