Nestle recalls all of its cookie dough

Los Angeles Times

There’s a toll to eating raw cookie dough.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told consumers Friday not to eat any varieties of prepackaged Nestle Toll House refrigerated cookie dough because the products could be contaminated with a potentially deadly form of E. coli.

Since March, at least 66 people from 28 states have gotten sick after eating the dough. Of those, 25 people were hospitalized and seven developed a severe complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome, which leads to kidney damage and lifetime health issues and is often responsible for E. coli illness deaths. So far, there are no documented deaths from the outbreak, according to the CDC.

Nestle, a Swiss food-giant that runs its U.S. operations out of Glendale, Calif., has launched a voluntary recall of all varieties of Nestle Toll House refrigerated dough, including Cookie Bar Dough, Cookie Dough Tub, Cookie Dough Tube, Limited Edition Cookie Dough items, Seasonal Cookie Dough and Ultimates Cookie Bar Dough.

“While the E. coli strain implicated in this investigation has not been detected in our product, the health and safety of our consumers is paramount, so we are initiating this voluntary recall. We have been and will continue to cooperate fully with the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control in this investigation,” company officials said in a statement.

Consumers with questions should contact Nestle Consumer Services at (800) 559-5025 or visit its Web site at www.verybestbaking.com. For more information on safe food-handling practices, go to www.fda.gov.

“We want to strongly advise consumers that raw cookie dough should not be eaten. This message also appears prominently on our packaging. Nestle Toll House cookies made from refrigerated dough are safe to consume when baked as directed on the package,” Nestle said. The FDA, though, said consumers shouldn’t eat cookies made from the dough because the bacteria could transfer to hands and preparation surfaces.

The strain of pathogen connected to the outbreak, E. coli O157:H7, causes abdominal cramping, vomiting and a diarrheal illness, often with bloody stools. Most healthy adults recover within a week, but young children and the elderly risk developing complications from the illness, the FDA said.

The agency warned people who have eaten prepackaged, refrigerated Toll House cookie dough recently and experienced digestive illness to contact their doctor.