Ready-To-Bake Cookie Dough Not Ready-To-Eat, Study of E. Coli

Ready-to-bake cookie dough not ready-to- eat, study of E. coli outbreak finds 9 December 2011

The investigation of a 2009 multistate outbreak of Flour does not ordinarily undergo a "kill step" to kill Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), an pathogens that may be present, unlike the other important cause of bacterial gastrointestinal illness, ingredients in the cookie dough like the pasteurized led to a new culprit: ready-to-bake commercial eggs, molasses, sugar, baking soda, and prepackaged cookie dough. Published in Clinical margarine. Chocolate was also not implicated in Infectious Diseases and available online, a new this outbreak since eating chocolate chip cookie report describing the outbreak offers dough was less strongly associated with these recommendations for prevention, including a illnesses when compared with consuming other stronger message for consumers: Don't eat flavors of cookie dough, according to Dr. Neil. prepackaged cookie dough before it's baked. The study authors conclude that "foods containing The report's authors, led by Karen Neil, MD, raw flour should be considered as possible vehicles MSPH, and colleagues at the Centers for Disease of infection of future outbreaks of STEC." Control and Prevention and at state health Manufacturers should consider using heat-treated departments, reached two key conclusions: 1) or pasteurized flour, in ready-to-cook or ready-to- manufacturers of cookie dough should consider bake foods that may be consumed without cooking reformulating their product to make it as safe as a or baking, despite label statements about the ready-to-eat product and 2) more effective danger of such risky eating practices, the authors consumer education about the risks of consuming conclude. In addition, manufacturers should unbaked goods is needed. During the 2009 consider formulating ready-to-bake prepackaged outbreak, 77 patients with illnesses were identified cookie dough to be as safe as a ready-to-eat food in 30 states, and 35 people were hospitalized. item.

Previous E. coli-related food-borne illnesses have Eating uncooked cookie dough appears to be a been associated with ground beef, leafy green popular practice, especially among adolescent girls, vegetables, sprouts, melons, salami, and the study authors note, with several patients unpasteurized apple cider. The 2009 investigation, reporting that they bought the product with no which involved extensive traceback, laboratory, intention of actually baking cookies. Since and environmental analysis, led to a recall of 3.6 educating consumers about the health risks may million packages of the cookie dough. However, no not completely halt the habit of snacking on cookie single source, vehicle, or production process dough, making the snacks safer may be the best associated with the dough could be identified for outcome possible. certain to have contributed to the contamination. More information: A Novel Vehicle for Dr. Neil and colleagues suspected that one of the Transmission of Escherichia coli O157:H7 to ingredients used to produce the dough was Humans: Multistate Outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 contaminated. Their investigation didn't Infections Associated With Consumption of Ready- conclusively implicate flour, but it remains the to-Bake Commercial Prepackaged Cookie Dough- prime suspect. They pointed out that a single United States, 2009. purchase of contaminated flour might have been www.oxfordjournals.org//our_jo … used to manufacture multiple lots and varieties of nals/cid/prpaper.pdf dough over a period of time as suggested by the use-by dates on the contaminated product.

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