- A food safety law firm recently released a draft citizen petition asking the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to require warning labels on cheeses made with raw milk, following multiple outbreaks linked to these products in recent months.
- The petition points to multiple outbreaks of foodborne illnesses linked to raw-milk cheese starting in 2024, including the most recent E. coli outbreak from Sierra Nevada Cheese Company’s aged raw milk cheddar and jack cheeses.
- Currently, FDA prohibits the interstate sale of raw milk and raw milk products, though certain soft-ripened cheeses made with unpasteurized milk may enter interstate commerce if they have been cured higher than 35 degrees F for at least 60 days. The petition suggests that consumers are entitled to labeling that explains this exemption.
- Specifically, the petition requests the following from FDA:
- Require the warning for all raw-milk cheese, domestic or imported;
- Complete its 2015 reevaluation of the 60-day aging requirement for raw-milk cheese; and
- Publish its delayed raw-milk cheese sampling data
- The firm requests public input on the draft citizen petition by October 15, 2026, before submitting to FDA. Keller and Heckman will continue to monitor any developments related to raw milk and raw milk products.
