Study Of E.coli Outbreak Finds Prepackaged Raw Cookie Dough Not Ready-To-Eat

Main Category: Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses
Also Included In: GastroIntestinal / Gastroenterology;  Public Health
Article Date: 12 Dec 2011 - 1:00 PST

email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions  

The investigation of a 2009 multistate 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 describing the outbreak 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: 1) manufacturers of cookie dough should consider reformulating their product to make it as safe as a ready-to-eat product and 2) more effective consumer education about the risks of consuming unbaked goods is needed. 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 traceback, 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 that "foods containing raw flour should be considered as possible vehicles of infection of future outbreaks of STEC." 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, the authors conclude. In addition, manufacturers should consider formulating ready-to-bake prepackaged cookie dough to be as safe as a ready-to-eat food item.

Eating uncooked cookie dough appears to be a popular practice, especially among adolescent girls, the study authors note, with several patients reporting that they bought the product with no intention of actually baking cookies. Since educating consumers about the health risks may not completely halt the habit of snacking on cookie dough, making the snacks safer may be the best outcome possible.

Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release. Click 'references' tab above for source.
Visit our infectious diseases / bacteria / viruses section for the latest news on this subject. A Novel Vehicle for Transmission of Escherichia coli O157:H7 to Humans: Multistate Outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 Infections Associated With Consumption of Ready-to-Bake Commercial Prepackaged Cookie Dough - United States, 2009
http://www.oxfordjournals.org//our_journals/cid/prpaper.pdf
Infectious Diseases Society of America Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

MLA

Infectious Diseases Society of America. "Study Of E.coli Outbreak Finds Prepackaged Raw Cookie Dough Not Ready-To-Eat." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 12 Dec. 2011. Web.
12 Dec. 2011. APA

Please note: If no author information is provided, the source is cited instead.

Please note that we publish your name, but we do not publish your email address. It is only used to let you know when your message is published. We do not use it for any other purpose. Please see our privacy policy for more information.

If you write about specific medications or operations, please do not name health care professionals by name.

All opinions are moderated before being included (to stop spam)

Contact Our News Editors

For any corrections of factual information, or to contact the editors please use our feedback form.

Please send any medical news or health news press releases to:

Note: Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional. For more information, please read our terms and conditions.

View the original article here

Cookie Dough E. Coli Risk

Editor's Choice
Academic Journal
Main Category: Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses
Also Included In: Public Health
Article Date: 11 Dec 2011 - 13:00 PST

email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions  

The latest perpetrator of Escherichia coli (STEC), a significant cause of bacterial gastrointestinal illness, is ready-to-bake commercial prepackaged cookie dough. The discovery was made following the 2009 investigation of a nationwide (USA) outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli. A new study, published online and in the Clinical Infectious Diseases describes the outbreak and provides suggestions to prevent the bacteria in a strong message for consumers: The pre-packaged cooking dough must not be eaten before baking.

Researchers of the new study, led by Karen Neil, MD, MSPH, and her team at the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) and at the health departments of several states came to two major conclusions: Cookie dough manufacturers should consider reformulating their product to reach the same safety standard as ready-to-eat productsConsumers be more effectively educated about the risks of consuming unbaked goods.During the 2009 E.coli outbreak, 77 people in 30 states became infected with the bacteria whilst 35 infected people needed hospitalization.

E. coli food-related illnesses have previously been linked to various foods, including leafy green vegetables, sprouts, unpasteurized apple cider, melons, salami, and ground beef. Environmental analysis, extensive back-tracing and laboratory tests of the investigation into the 2009 outbreak, resulted in a recall of 3.6 million cookie dough packages.

Investigators were unable to trace the bacteria back to any single source. Given that neither vehicles nor the production process linked to the dough could be clearly identified as having contributed to the contamination, ??Dr. Neil and his team suspected that the source of contamination may have been one of the ingredients used to produce the dough, and although their investigation did not conclusively implicate flour, it remains the prime suspect.

By referring to use-by dates on the tainted products over specific weeks and months, the investigators say the culprit might have been just one purchase of E. coli-containing flour that was used in producing several lots and varieties of dough.

In contrast to other ingredients in the cookie dough, such as pasteurized eggs, molasses, sugar, baking soda, and margarine, flour is typically not subject to a "kill step" that eliminates potentially present pathogens. According to Dr. Neil, chocolate was also not implicated given that the link of consuming chocolate chip cookie dough to illnesses was lower in comparison to other flavors of cookie dough.

In a concluding statement, the authors say that:

"Foods containing raw flour should be considered as possible vehicles of infection
of future outbreaks of STEC."

The researchers suggest that manufacturers should consider using heat-treated or pasteurized flour in ready-to-cook/bake products, so that shoppers may eat the dough safely without prior cooking or baking irrespective of the products' warning labels that inform consumers about the dangers of such risky eating practices. They conclude, that manufacturers should also consider reformulating ready-to-bake prepackaged cookie dough to be as safe as a ready-to-eat food item.

The authors note that consuming uncooked cookie dough seems to be a popular practice, particularly amongst young women and teenage girls. They refer to statements from several patients who reported buying the product with no intention of actually baking cookies. Given that consumer education about the health risks may not completely eliminate people's snacking habits on cookie dough, the best possible outcome would be to make the snacks safer.

Written by Petra Rattue
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

Visit our infectious diseases / bacteria / viruses section for the latest news on this subject. "A Novel Vehicle for Transmission of Escherichia coli O157:H7 to Humans: Multistate Outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 Infections Associated With Consumption of Ready-to-Bake Commercial Prepackaged Cookie Dough - United States, 2009"
Karen P. Neil, Gwen Biggerstaff, J. Kathryn MacDonald, Eija Trees, Carlota Medus, Kimberlee A. Musser, Steven G. Stroika, Don Zink6, and Mark J. Sotir
Clin Infect Dis. (2011) doi: 10.1093/cid/cir831 First published online: December 8, 2011 Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

MLA

Petra Rattue. "Cookie Dough E. Coli Risk." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 11 Dec. 2011. Web.
12 Dec. 2011. APA

Please note: If no author information is provided, the source is cited instead.

posted by dave on 11 Dec 2011 at 4:21 pm

Hi - im just curious to know if HUMAN sewage sludge (aka biosolids) spread on farm fields across the country for "fertilizer" could have contaminated the wheat harvested and processed to flour.

This is why HR 254 The sewage sludge labelling act that has died in committee over the past 8 years is so important to get enacted - we as citizens have a right to know if the product is human sewage sludge based.

Has there been any studies to date to look at potential cross contamination of agriculture products with human feces / industrial waste used as fertilizer?

| post followup | alert a moderator |

Please note that we publish your name, but we do not publish your email address. It is only used to let you know when your message is published. We do not use it for any other purpose. Please see our privacy policy for more information.

If you write about specific medications or operations, please do not name health care professionals by name.

All opinions are moderated before being included (to stop spam)

Contact Our News Editors

For any corrections of factual information, or to contact the editors please use our feedback form.

Please send any medical news or health news press releases to:

Note: Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional. For more information, please read our terms and conditions.

View the original article here

E. Coli Infection - Cook Cookie Dough Before Eating

Editor's Choice
Academic Journal
Main Category: Nutrition / Diet
Also Included In: Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses
Article Date: 09 Dec 2011 - 8:00 PST

email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions  

Pre-packaged cookie dough might taste lovely, but you should resist the temptation until it has been properly baked if you want to avoid getting an E. coli infection, researchers from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) reported in Clinical Infectious Diseases. The authors explain that the 2009 outbreak of STEC (Shiga toxin-producing E. coli) which affected several US states was caused by commercial prepackaged cookie dough.

Eating uncooked cookie dough is popular, especially among teenage girls. In fact, the researchers learnt that many customers buy them with no intention of baking or cooking - they simply eat it as it is..

77 patients from 30 states became ill during the 2009 outbreak; 35 of them had to be admitted to hospital.

The authors wrote that in order to better prevent future outbreaks, the message on cookie dough packages should be more visible and simple - "Don't eat this dough before it is baked!".

Karen Neil, MD, MSPH, and team, which also included experts from state health departments, came to two conclusions: Cookie dough makers should reformulate their produce so that the risk of infection is minimized, even in its raw stateConsumer education regarding the health hazards of eating unbaked cooking dough should be more effectiveFood-borne illnesses caused by E. coli in the USA have been linked to leafy green vegetables, melons, salami, unpasteurized apple cider, sprouts, and ground beef.

3.6 million cookie dough packages were recalled in 2009. After an investigation was ordered and carried out, no production process, vehicle or single source linked to the dough could be identified as a definite contributor to the contamination.

The team believes that one of the dough's ingredients was tainted. Their investigation implicated four ingredients, but not conclusively. The authors explained that just one purchase of tainted flour might have been used in the making of several different lots and types of dough. By examining the contamination status of the products' use-by dates, they were able to make an approximate estimate of when, during that production period, contaminated doughs were being manufactured.

Most cookie dough ingredients undergo a "kill step", such as margarine, baking soda, sugar, molasses, and pasteurized eggs - flour ordinarily does not. Chocolate was ruled out as a possible contributor to the outbreak, because eating chocolate chip cookie dough is much less linked to illnesses of this kind, compared to other cookie dough flavors.

The authors wrote:

"Foods containing raw flour should be considered as possible vehicles of infection of future outbreaks of STEC."

Dr. Neil and team say that makers of baking products should perhaps use pasteurized or heat-treated flour in ready-to-cook foods - especially those that can easily be consumed before they are baked.

They add that manufacturers should strive to make their pre-baked products as safe to eat as they are after baking.

The authors concluded in an Abstract in the journal:

"Manufacturers should consider formulating ready-to-bake commercial prepackaged cookie dough to be as safe as a ready-to-eat product. More effective consumer education about the risks of eating unbaked cookie dough is needed."

They stressed that even educating consumers about the health risks may not be enough.

Written by Christian Nordqvist
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

Visit our nutrition / diet section for the latest news on this subject. "A Novel Vehicle for Transmission of Escherichia coli O157:H7 to Humans: Multistate Outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 Infections Associated With Consumption of Ready-to-Bake Commercial Prepackaged Cookie Dough - United States, 2009"
Karen P. Neil, Gwen Biggerstaff, J. Kathryn MacDonald, Eija Trees, Carlota Medus, Kimberlee A. Musser, Steven G. Stroika, Don Zink6, and Mark J. Sotir
Clin Infect Dis. (2011) doi: 10.1093/cid/cir831 First published online: December 8, 2011 Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

MLA

Christian Nordqvist. "E. Coli Infection - Cook Cookie Dough Before Eating." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 9 Dec. 2011. Web.
9 Dec. 2011. APA

Please note: If no author information is provided, the source is cited instead.

posted by avlisk on 9 Dec 2011 at 8:43 am

I've always thought of the packaged cookie dough as 3 foods in one: there's the cooked and cooled cookie; the half-baked, still hot and runny dough-smush-cookie; and of course, the dough straight out of the package. A little of this, a little of that, and you have 3 food groups covered in one product. A perfect food. Never had a problem eating raw dough, though.

| post followup | alert a moderator |

posted by tom bodett on 9 Dec 2011 at 9:09 am

Anyone have ideas why chocolate chip cookie dough might be less prone to causing e. coli infection?

| post followup | alert a moderator |

posted by Bala Ramsu on 9 Dec 2011 at 9:12 am

Many articles on this subject, no mention of popular ice cream flavors that include raw cookie dough.

| post followup | alert a moderator |

posted by PCL on 9 Dec 2011 at 9:14 am

If eggnog can be made to standards for food that is edible without cooking, so can cookie dough. There is no reason have to cook it when its ingredients are mostly grains, sugars and oils.

| post followup | alert a moderator |

posted by Jon on 9 Dec 2011 at 9:44 am

77 people throughout 30 states?? My God, that's a little more than two people per state. To the bunkers!

| post followup | alert a moderator |

posted by meghan on 9 Dec 2011 at 10:32 am

I think the cookie dough in ice creams are egg-less. There's those chocolate covered cookie dough bites you can get at movie theaters and such, and they're egg-less.

| post followup | alert a moderator |

Please note that we publish your name, but we do not publish your email address. It is only used to let you know when your message is published. We do not use it for any other purpose. Please see our privacy policy for more information.

If you write about specific medications or operations, please do not name health care professionals by name.

All opinions are moderated before being included (to stop spam)

Contact Our News Editors

For any corrections of factual information, or to contact the editors please use our feedback form.

Please send any medical news or health news press releases to:

Note: Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional. For more information, please read our terms and conditions.

View the original article here

E. Coli Infection - Cook Cookie Dough Before Eating

Editor's Choice
Academic Journal
Main Category: Nutrition / Diet
Also Included In: Infectious Diseases / Bacteria / Viruses
Article Date: 09 Dec 2011 - 8:00 PST

email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions  

Pre-packaged cookie dough might taste lovely, but you should resist the temptation until it has been properly baked if you want to avoid getting an E. coli infection, researchers from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) reported in Clinical Infectious Diseases. The authors explain that the 2009 outbreak of STEC (Shiga toxin-producing E. coli) which affected several US states was caused by commercial prepackaged cookie dough.

Eating uncooked cookie dough is popular, especially among teenage girls. In fact, the researchers learnt that many customers buy them with no intention of baking or cooking - they simply eat it as it is..

77 patients from 30 states became ill during the 2009 outbreak; 35 of them had to be admitted to hospital.

The authors wrote that in order to better prevent future outbreaks, the message on cookie dough packages should be more visible and simple - "Don't eat this dough before it is baked!".

Karen Neil, MD, MSPH, and team, which also included experts from state health departments, came to two conclusions: Cookie dough makers should reformulate their produce so that the risk of infection is minimized, even in its raw stateConsumer education regarding the health hazards of eating unbaked cooking dough should be more effectiveFood-borne illnesses caused by E. coli in the USA have been linked to leafy green vegetables, melons, salami, unpasteurized apple cider, sprouts, and ground beef.

3.6 million cookie dough packages were recalled in 2009. After an investigation was ordered and carried out, no production process, vehicle or single source linked to the dough could be identified as a definite contributor to the contamination.

The team believes that one of the dough's ingredients was tainted. Their investigation implicated four ingredients, but not conclusively. The authors explained that just one purchase of tainted flour might have been used in the making of several different lots and types of dough. By examining the contamination status of the products' use-by dates, they were able to make an approximate estimate of when, during that production period, contaminated doughs were being manufactured.

Most cookie dough ingredients undergo a "kill step", such as margarine, baking soda, sugar, molasses, and pasteurized eggs - flour ordinarily does not. Chocolate was ruled out as a possible contributor to the outbreak, because eating chocolate chip cookie dough is much less linked to illnesses of this kind, compared to other cookie dough flavors.

The authors wrote:

"Foods containing raw flour should be considered as possible vehicles of infection of future outbreaks of STEC."

Dr. Neil and team say that makers of baking products should perhaps use pasteurized or heat-treated flour in ready-to-cook foods - especially those that can easily be consumed before they are baked.

They add that manufacturers should strive to make their pre-baked products as safe to eat as they are after baking.

The authors concluded in an Abstract in the journal:

"Manufacturers should consider formulating ready-to-bake commercial prepackaged cookie dough to be as safe as a ready-to-eat product. More effective consumer education about the risks of eating unbaked cookie dough is needed."

They stressed that even educating consumers about the health risks may not be enough.

Written by Christian Nordqvist
Copyright: Medical News Today
Not to be reproduced without permission of Medical News Today

Visit our nutrition / diet section for the latest news on this subject. "A Novel Vehicle for Transmission of Escherichia coli O157:H7 to Humans: Multistate Outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 Infections Associated With Consumption of Ready-to-Bake Commercial Prepackaged Cookie Dough - United States, 2009"
Karen P. Neil, Gwen Biggerstaff, J. Kathryn MacDonald, Eija Trees, Carlota Medus, Kimberlee A. Musser, Steven G. Stroika, Don Zink6, and Mark J. Sotir
Clin Infect Dis. (2011) doi: 10.1093/cid/cir831 First published online: December 8, 2011 Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

MLA

Christian Nordqvist. "E. Coli Infection - Cook Cookie Dough Before Eating." Medical News Today. MediLexicon, Intl., 9 Dec. 2011. Web.
9 Dec. 2011. APA

Please note: If no author information is provided, the source is cited instead.

posted by avlisk on 9 Dec 2011 at 8:43 am

I've always thought of the packaged cookie dough as 3 foods in one: there's the cooked and cooled cookie; the half-baked, still hot and runny dough-smush-cookie; and of course, the dough straight out of the package. A little of this, a little of that, and you have 3 food groups covered in one product. A perfect food. Never had a problem eating raw dough, though.

| post followup | alert a moderator |

posted by tom bodett on 9 Dec 2011 at 9:09 am

Anyone have ideas why chocolate chip cookie dough might be less prone to causing e. coli infection?

| post followup | alert a moderator |

posted by Bala Ramsu on 9 Dec 2011 at 9:12 am

Many articles on this subject, no mention of popular ice cream flavors that include raw cookie dough.

| post followup | alert a moderator |

posted by PCL on 9 Dec 2011 at 9:14 am

If eggnog can be made to standards for food that is edible without cooking, so can cookie dough. There is no reason have to cook it when its ingredients are mostly grains, sugars and oils.

| post followup | alert a moderator |

Please note that we publish your name, but we do not publish your email address. It is only used to let you know when your message is published. We do not use it for any other purpose. Please see our privacy policy for more information.

If you write about specific medications or operations, please do not name health care professionals by name.

All opinions are moderated before being included (to stop spam)

Contact Our News Editors

For any corrections of factual information, or to contact the editors please use our feedback form.

Please send any medical news or health news press releases to:

Note: Any medical information published on this website is not intended as a substitute for informed medical advice and you should not take any action before consulting with a health care professional. For more information, please read our terms and conditions.

View the original article here