Is Ready to Bake Cookie Dough Safe to Eat?
Author: Infectious Diseases Society of America
Published: 2011/12/09 - Updated: 2024/06/09
Publication Details: Peer-Reviewed, Informative
Topic: Disability Cooking Tips and Recipes - Publications List
Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main
Synopsis: Study finds ready to bake cookie dough not safe to eat before being baked due to E. coli as flour does not ordinarily undergo a step to kill pathogens that may be present. The investigation of a 2009 multi-state outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), an important cause of bacterial gastrointestinal illness, led to a new culprit: ready-to-bake commercial prepackaged cookie dough.
Introduction
Cookie dough is a blend of cookie ingredients which has been mixed into a malleable form which has not yet been hardened by heat. The dough is often then separated, and the portions baked to individual cookies, or eaten as is. Cookie dough can be homemade or bought pre-made in packs (frozen logs, buckets, etc.). Desserts containing cookie dough, such as ice cream, candy, and milkshake are also frequently marketed. Because of the presence of raw egg, consumption of uncooked cookie dough increases the possibility of contracting the foodborne illness salmonellosis.
Main Item
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) strongly discourages the consumption of all food products containing raw egg because of this threat. Cookie dough designed specifically for eating raw (such as that found in ice cream) is made either without raw egg or with pasteurized eggs, and is safe to eat. In June 2009, the FDA issued a recall for Nestlé Cookie Dough for potentially dangerous amounts of E. coli. There have been more than 7,000 cases of E. coli poisoning linked to this cookie dough, but none of the cases were fatal.
Investigation
The investigation of a 2009 multi-state outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), an important cause of bacterial gastrointestinal illness, led to a new culprit: ready-to-bake commercial prepackaged cookie dough.
Published in Clinical Infectious Diseases and available online, a new report describes the outbreak and offers recommendations for prevention, including a stronger message for consumers: Don't eat prepackaged cookie dough before it's baked!
The report's authors, led by Karen Neil, MD, MSPH, and colleagues at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and at state health departments, reached two key conclusions:
- More effective consumer education about the risks of consuming unbaked goods is needed.
- Manufacturers of cookie dough should consider reformulating their product to make it as safe as a ready-to-eat product
During the 2009 outbreak, 77 patients with illnesses were identified in 30 states, and 35 people were hospitalized.
Previous E. coli related food-borne illnesses have been associated with ground beef, leafy green vegetables, sprouts, melons, salami, and unpasteurized apple cider. The 2009 investigation, which involved extensive trace back, laboratory, and environmental analysis, led to a recall of 3.6 million packages of the cookie dough. However, no single source, vehicle, or production process associated with the dough could be identified for certain to have contributed to the contamination.
Dr. Neil and colleagues suspected that one of the ingredients used to produce the dough was contaminated. Their investigation didn't conclusively implicate flour, but it remains the prime suspect. They pointed out that a single purchase of contaminated flour might have been used to manufacture multiple lots and varieties of dough over a period of time, as suggested by the use-by dates on the contaminated product.
Flour does not ordinarily undergo a "kill step" to kill pathogens that may be present, unlike the other ingredients in the cookie dough like the pasteurized eggs, molasses, sugar, baking soda, and margarine. Chocolate was also not implicated in this outbreak, since eating chocolate-chip cookie dough was less strongly associated with these illnesses when compared with consuming other flavors of cookie dough, according to Dr. Neil.
The Study Authors Conclude
- Foods containing raw flour should be considered as possible vehicles of infection of future outbreaks of STEC.
- Manufacturers should consider formulating ready-to-bake prepackaged cookie dough to be as safe as a ready-to-eat food item.
- Manufacturers should consider using heat-treated or pasteurized flour, in ready-to-cook or ready-to-bake foods that may be consumed without cooking or baking, despite label statements about the danger of such risky eating practices.
Attribution/Source(s): This peer reviewed publication was selected for publishing by the editors of Disabled World (DW) due to its relevance to the disability community. Originally authored by Infectious Diseases Society of America and published on 2011/12/09, this content may have been edited for style, clarity, or brevity. For further details or clarifications, Infectious Diseases Society of America can be contacted at idsociety.org NOTE: Disabled World does not provide any warranties or endorsements related to this article.