A four-state Salmonella outbreak linked to raw (unpasteurized) milk products has infected at least 165 people—many of them children—from fall 2023 to June 2024, Food Safety News (FSN) reported today based on data it obtained from the California Division of Communicable Disease Control (CDCDC) and the California Department of Health.

The median age of patients is 7 years.

Raw Farm (formerly Organic Pastures) of Fresno, California, has been linked to the outbreak, with 93% of those sickened reporting that they consumed the company's products. Raw Farm recalled the implicated products in October 2023 but resumed sales a week later.

Long history of outbreaks tied to raw-milk maker

Raw Farm has been tied to a series of outbreaks or recalls related to Salmonella, Campylobacter and Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli bacteria, FSN noted. 

FSN noted that when Raw Milk operated under the name Organic Pastures, its milk and cream products were associated with eight outbreaks of E coli, Listeria, and Campylobacter from 2006 to 2016.

In May 2023, the California Department of Food and Agriculture recalled Raw Farm milk after routine sampling detected C jejuni, and in August of that year, it announced a statewide recall of Salmonella-contaminated cheddar cheese from the company. In February 2024, the CDC reported 11 E coli cases in five states, including five hospitalizations, linked to Raw Farm cheddar cheese.

FSN noted that when Raw Milk operated under the name Organic Pastures, its milk and cream products were associated with eight outbreaks of E coli, Listeria, and Campylobacter from 2006 to 2016.

While the most recent California public health report from the current outbreak was released in February, the latest outbreak case was recorded in June, according to FSN. The two reports obtained by FSN were partially redacted, the publication said.

"It is beyond me to comprehend why public health would remain mute in the face of at least 165 sick, 20 hospitalized, and 40 percent of the ill five years or younger—especially raw milk—a risky elixir," Bill Marler, JD, a Seattle food safety attorney and FSN publisher, said in the article.

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