Personal Injury Blog

2009 E. coli Food Poisoning Outbreak Linked to Flour in Cookie Dough

December 26th, 2011
E. coli Food Poisoning

Researchers believe that E. coli in the raw flour caused the outbreak

An outbreak of E. coli food poisoning that swept through the country in 2009 is being linked to flour used in raw cookie dough.  Researchers have not been able to correctly and accurately pinpoint the ingredient that caused the outbreak, but they do believe that E. coli in the raw flour caused the outbreak.  The results of the research have been published in the journal Clinical Infectious Disease.

The E. coli food poisoning outbreak threatened several parts of the country in 2009, and led to more than 77 people from 30 states coming down with E. coli poisoning.  At least 50% of those people became so sick that they had to be hospitalized for treatment.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention conducted a, investigation into the food poisoning outbreak, but has not yet determined the exact ingredient in the raw cookie dough that caused the outbreak.  However, some of the researchers believe that the culprit could be the raw flour that was used in the cookie dough.  Flour may not be put through the same kind of processes to eliminate dangerous disease-causing bacteria in the manner that other products that go into the cookie dough, like eggs and sugar.  Therefore, germs that have contaminated the flour, could easily survive to contaminate the ready-to-eat cookie dough.

The researchers are also warning against consuming raw cookie dough.  As San Diego food poisoning lawyers know, for many people, licking the raw cookie dough off their spoons is part of the fun of baking.  However, when you consume raw cookie dough, you are substantially increasing the risks of suffering food poisoning as the Salmonella food poisoning outbreak of 2009 shows.  Cookie dough or any other product that is meant to be baked must not be consumed in its raw state.

Unfortunately, the practice of eating cookie dough is widespread.  In fact, several of the people who fell sick from the cookie dough-related E. coli poisoning in 2009, bought the packaged cookie dough not to bake it, but to eat it.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has noted this fact, and has recommended that manufacturers make the cookie dough much safer than it is in its raw state.  Also, the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention believes that more persons must be made aware of the risks of eating cookie dough in its raw state.  Currently, too many people are under the mistaken impression that eating raw cookie dough is harmless.

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