An ongoing E. coli outbreak linked to a raw milk purveyor recently favored by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is raising questions about whether the dairy is getting special treatment.
The Food and Drug Administration has linked the outbreak to dairy products from Raw Farm, one of the nation’s largest unpasteurized dairy producers but has stopped short of issuing a rare mandatory recall. Nearly all food companies voluntarily issue recalls when facing such allegations, but Raw Farm’s leadership is resisting, maintaining that they have not found E. coli in their own tests.
Raw Farm’s refusal to voluntarily recall its cheddar products has prompted concerns from some Democratic lawmakers and food-safety advocates that political considerations may be keeping the FDA from compelling the company to act. Founder Mark McAfee has claimed that Kennedy is a customer, and MAHA advocates close to the secretary have promoted claims about raw milk’s benefits that aren’t supported by evidence.
Before President Donald Trump’s second term, Raw Farm had issued voluntary recalls when outbreaks were linked to the farm’s products.
