The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said they are investigating a multistate outbreak of E. coli infections potentially linked to Sierra Nevada Graziers raw milk cheese.
Thirteen people in nine states have been sickened in the E. coli outbreak, including eight who were hospitalized and three who developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a potentially serious complication of E. coli infection that presents with bloody diarrhea and fever, according to the CDC. No deaths have been reported, the FDA said.
States with E. coli cases linked to raw milk cheese include California, Colorado, Georgia, Kentucky, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon, Tennessee and Utah.
It can be relatively safe if the producers are held to high hygiene standards. The aging process kills most harmful microbes. If you’re pregnant, though, you should probably avoid cheese from raw milk unless it’s been heated.
And you can pry my boerenkaas from my cold dead hands!