Family Farmstead Dairy of Worcester, New York, is recalling one lot of its Raw Mild Cheddar Cheese sold in seven Eastern states after a Maryland lab isolated two strains of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli, according to the company’s announcement posted by the FDA. The 8-ounce cheese went to grocers in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland, Virginia and Massachusetts. No illnesses have been reported.
The Family Farmstead cheddar lot being pulled
The recall covers Family Farmstead Dairy Raw Mild Cheddar Cheese in an 8-ounce package. The company said no illnesses or allergic reactions have been reported to date. The lot code and the best-by date are the same: 7/22/27. The company said only that lot is affected and no other Family Farmstead Dairy products are part of the recall.
The notice lists no UPC, so the 7/22/27 code is the main thing to match. One line of the FDA notice also calls the product Family Farmstead A2 Raw Cheddar, so a package with either name and that date counts. Households sorting through a crowded cheese drawer may find these kitchen organization ideas handy for keeping labels visible. It is the latest in a run of dairy-adjacent recalls, following the Nature’s Own Hawaiian bread recall over undeclared milk earlier this week.
The company also warned that the cheese may have reached other states through downstream distributors, so the cheese is not necessarily limited to the seven listed states.
Two E. coli strains turned up in testing
A lab the notice refers to as LFFM in Maryland analyzed the cheese and isolated two Shiga toxin-producing E. coli strains, O26:H11 and O45:H2, from two samples, the company said. The FDA page carries an update note saying it corrects the distribution pattern and the E. coli serotype from an earlier version of the release issued Oct. 15, although parts of the page’s summary text, and the description in the FDA’s recall feed, still name a different strain, O157:H7.
The FDA recall feed carried the notice on Oct. 15, about a week after the agency posted a pair of Listeria recalls on Starfish smoked fish. The CDC says six types of E. coli can cause diarrheal illness and that Shiga toxin-producing strains can lead to a serious condition called hemolytic uremic syndrome.
Why raw-milk cheddar is aged before sale
Raw milk cheese is legal to sell in the United States, with a condition. Under the federal standard for cheddar cheese, when the dairy ingredients are not pasteurized, the cheese must be cured at no less than 35 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 60 days. The Family Farmstead notice does not say how long the recalled lot was aged, and it does not give a count of how many packages were sold.
That aging step does not replace pasteurization. The CDC’s raw milk page explains that pasteurization heats milk to a set temperature for a set time to remove germs, and that good farm practices alone cannot make raw milk free of them. The agency lists E. coli, Listeria and Salmonella among the germs found in raw milk products, and it suggests reading labels to see whether a dairy product was pasteurized.
The CDC credits pasteurization, in use since the early 1900s, with greatly reducing illnesses spread through milk. It also notes that young children, older adults, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to become seriously ill from germs in raw milk products.
Raw cheddar has a loyal following at farm stands and specialty counters, much like the old favorites in this list of foods boomers loved with a passion. For shoppers who stock up before holiday gatherings, checking the date code before the cheese board goes out takes only a moment.
Refunds and who to call
Family Farmstead Dairy asks customers not to eat the recalled cheese. It can be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase for a full refund.
Questions go to the company at (607) 397-4044 or customerservice@familyfarmsteaddairy.com, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern, Monday through Friday. Stores handle the refunds, so a receipt and the original packaging make the return simpler.
FoodSafety.gov adds that when recalled food has been opened or stored in the kitchen, it should be thrown out and the area cleaned. A fresh sponge helps, and the site’s guide to kitchen sponge mistakes covers how to keep cleanup from spreading mess around.
Planning holiday cheese boards around the recall
The recall lands about a month before Thanksgiving, when cheese boards are a staple of many appetizer spreads. Households that already ordered a ready-made spread, such as Sam’s Club’s Member’s Mark Thanksgiving meal for 16, may still be building their own cheese plate on the side.
Before restocking the fridge, this list of items worth keeping in the refrigerator can help plan what goes in once the recalled block comes out.
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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
Image: CNEcija12345 – CC BY-SA 4.0/Wikimedia Commons
