I occasionally buy a tube of sugar cookie dough to eat raw. They always
have a warning on the back to not eat raw cookie dough, but never have
information as to why this is a bad idea. I always assumed the problem
was with raw eggs, a difficulty which I had thought had been largely
eliminated, but that's apparently not the case.

F.D.A. Ruins Raw Cookie Dough for Everybody
By Rachel Rabkin Peachman June 29, 2016 4:25 pm June 29, 2016 4:25 pm

Maybe youve swiped a bite of raw cookie dough while preparing a batch
to bake. Or perhaps youve let your children lick the batter from the
cake bowl, or use homemade €œplay dough€� to make crafts. But even if the
dough is free of raw eggs, which you think might give you a pass, dont
eat it.

Yesterday, the Food and Drug Administration issued a message warning
people not to eat raw dough because of a recent outbreak of E. coli
linked to contaminated flour.

So far, a reported 38 people in 20 states have been infected by a strain
of bacteria called Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O121 found in flour.
The infections began last December, and 10 of those infected have been
hospitalized.

Symptoms of the bacterial infection include severe stomach cramps,
diarrhea (often bloody), and vomiting. Most people get better within a
week, but in some cases, infections can lead to a type of kidney failure
called hemolytic uremic syndrome. Those who are most vulnerable to
severe illness include children under 5, older adults and people with
weakened immune systems.

Investigations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the
F.D.A. traced the source of the outbreak to flour that was produced in
November 2015 at the General Mills facility in Kansas City, Mo. General
Mills has issued a voluntary recall of 10 million pounds of flour
produced between Nov. 14 and Dec. 4, sold under three brand names: Gold
Medal, Signature Kitchens and Gold Medal Wondra. Flour that is part of
the recall should be thrown away.

Unlike other raw foods, like eggs or meat €” which many people recognize
as contamination risks €” €œflour is not the type of thing that we
commonly associate with pathogens,€� said Jenny Scott, a senior adviser
in the F.D.A.s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.

In this case, investigators believe that the grain became contaminated
in the field, where it is exposed to manure, cattle, birds and other
bacteria. €œE. coli is a gut bug that can spread from a cow doing its
business in the field, or it could live in the soil for a period of
time; and if you think about it, flour comes from the ground, so it
could be a risk,€� said Adam Karcz, an infection preventionist at Indiana
University Health in Indianapolis.

Normally, flour is cooked before it is consumed, destroying any
pathogens. €œFor the most part, the risk from flour is pretty low, and
most use of flour involves a "kill step €” people bake with it,€� Ms.
Scott said. In commercial uses like €œraw€� cookie-dough ice cream,
companies generally heat-treat it to eliminate bacteria, she said.

Consumers, then, need to be aware that they should follow food safety
guidelines for flour. That means washing your hands thoroughly before
and after handling raw flour. And Ms. Scott warned against letting
children play with homemade play dough. €œKids are going to handle it and
touch their faces, and theyre going to lick their fingers; its hard to
supervise that,€� she said.

At home, Mr. Karcz suggests sealing your flour container and storing it
in a cool, dry place to prevent contamination. And after using flour, be
sure to clean up your countertops, cutting boards and utensils to
prevent the spread of any bacteria.

If you do develop symptoms of infection, contact your health care
practitioner for treatment and to report the illness, particularly if
you suspect its connected to an outbreak.

€œWe want to encourage consumers to report their illnesses, even though
its an imperfect system,€� Ms. Scott said. €œWed like to have the tests
done and get everything reported and identify these outbreaks so we can
follow up, discover root causes and make changes in the system so that
people dont get sick in the future.€�