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Eating raw cookie dough brings snacking to ecstasy level for some people. Many a sleepover and mother-daughter baking session are spent sampling tastes from the salty-sweet tubes of dough. Teens often gather at someone's home and bake cookies. And sneaking spoonfuls from the mixing bowl will happen.
Eating raw cookie dough has always been semi-dangerous, but cookie dough lovers everywhere are now being seriously encouraged to stop their habit. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has used advanced DNA tests to associate the 29-state outbreak with Nestle's prepackaged cookie dough. Thus far, Colorado has reported five cases of E. coli from Denver, Douglas, Jefferson and Weld counties.
Nestle voluntarily recalled their products and published this list with the health and safety of their consumers in mind. The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has been conducting an investigation on E. coli in raw cookie dough. Nestle has been cooperative but claims the E. coli strain has not been detected in their product.
The danger in eating raw dough is raw eggs that may contain salmonella, a bacterium that can cause stomach illness. Salmonella was the cause of recent peanut-related illnesses, causing nine deaths and subsequent food recalls. Historically, eating homemade raw cookie dough made with raw eggs has been more dangerous than store-bought pre-made doughs. Pre-packaged raw cookie dough, including Nestle Toll House dough, uses pasteurized eggs that are heated just enough to kill bacteria.
Even if a raw cookie dough is made with pasteurized eggs, other ingredients can contain pathogens. This risk prompts food companies to put a warning label on their products not to eat it raw. E. coli are a large and diverse group of bacteria. Some strains are harmless but others can cause illnesses such as urinary tract infections, respiratory illness, pneumonia and even kidney failure. Symptoms are abdominal cramping, vomiting and diarrhea, sometimes with bloody stools. Healthy adults usually recover quickly from the illnesses.
Fans of eating raw cookie dough are numerous. Facebook has over 40 groups for raw cookie dough lovers. If your cookie-loving teens want to host a baking session, print out this safe-to-eat dough recipe from Recipe Zaar.
For more information:
VeryBestBaking.com Recall List
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