Three people sickened in E. coli outbreak linked to Whatcom County dairy
Diary products from a Whatcom County creamery are being recalled because of an E. coli outbreak that has sickened at least three people in two states, health officials said late Friday.
Raw milk products from Twin Sisters Creamery in Ferndale are suspected in the outbreak affecting people in Washington and Oregon, the Whatcom County Department of Health and Community Services said in an emailed statement.
“Right now, our nurse team is continuing exposure investigations, The investigation is ongoing, and we are working with partners to prevent further illnesses,” co-health officer Dr. Amy Harley said.
Two Whatcom County residents are known to have been sickened, and test results showed a genetic link between their illness and Twin Sisters Creamery products. An additional case involving one person in Oregon is genetically linked to the Whatcom County case, the statement said.
One patient is a child under 5 and two are adults. One person was hospitalized.
All illnesses occurred between Sept. 5 and Sept. 16, according to the statement.
“Multiple varieties of aged raw milk cheese from Twin Sisters Creamery are in the process of being recalled after testing linked E. coli bacteria from three cases to the company’s cheese. Twin Sisters Creamery is cooperating with the investigation. Additional products may be recalled or identified as a possible source of infection in the future,” the Health Department statement said.
All sizes of Whatcom Blue, Farmhouse, Peppercorn and Mustard Seed cheese varieties from Twin Sisters Creamery produced May 27 or later are affected by the recall:
- #450 Made on 5/27/2025 - Batch Code 250527B Whatcom Blue
- #452 Made on 6/10/2025 - Batch Code 250610B Whatcom Blue
- #454 Made on 6/18/2025 - Batch Code 250618B Whatcom Blue
- #455 Made on 6/24/2025 - Batch Code 250625B Whatcom Blue
- #451 Made on 6/03/2025 - Batch Code 250603F Farmhouse
- #453 Made on 6/16/2025 - Batch Code 250616B Farmhouse
- #451 Made on 6/03/2025 - Batch Code 250603P Peppercorn
- #453 Made on 6/16/2025 - Batch Code 250616 Mustard Seed
“Some (of the) cheese products were repackaged by grocery stores and markets, so the original label may not be present. In these instances, the grocery store/market label should list the cheese brand,” the statement said.
A Health Department spokesperson told The Herald that the illnesses were linked to a Shiga toxin-producing E. coli strain O103, also known as STEC.
Symptoms of E. coli
People usually get sick from STEC between one and eight days, but usually in two to three days, after eating contaminated food, the Health Department said. Some infected people have no symptoms or only mild diarrhea. Usually little or no fever is present.
People who ate Twin Sisters dairy products and have these symptoms should contact their doctor or a health-care provider and submit a stool sample for testing.:
- Severe diarrhea
- Stomach cramps
- Blood in the stool
If you were sick
Anyone who was sick with symptom onset between May 27 and Oct. 24, or is concerned about possible exposure, contact the Health Department:
- Fill out an online complaint form, choose Complaint—Illness from Food in the category drop-down list, and someone will contact you.
- Call during business hours at 360-778-6100.
This story was originally published October 24, 2025 at 8:30 PM.
