http://www.care2.com/greenliving/e-coli-in-cookie-dough.html
E. Coli in Cookie Dough
Tony Corbo, Food and Water Watch
Now, it’s E. coli contamination of all things Toll-House cookie dough. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 65 people in 29 states have become ill from either eating raw cookie dough or consuming another food item that became contaminated from coming into contact with raw cookie dough. Eating raw cookie dough is never a smart thing to do because there is always a chance that the dough is contaminated with a food-borne pathogen, but the usual culprit is salmonella from unpasteurized eggs–not E. coli which is more commonly associated with beef products.
Again, as was the case with the recent food-borne illness outbreaks associated with peanuts, peanut butter, spinach, and alfalfa sprouts, the Food and Drug Administration did not know there was a problem with the cookie dough until people started to get sick. We found out with the Peanut Corporation of America outbreak that FDA inspectors had not been in the Georgia plant that was the center of the outbreak for eight years. Had inspectors been there on a regular basis, they would have seen that the plant was manufacturing food under unsanitary conditions. Information on the last FDA inspection of the Nestle’s plant involved in the cookie dough outbreak still has not been released, but we would not be surprised to learn if FDA has not been in there for years.
That is why we were dismayed to hear of comments attributed to the new FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg who stated that more frequent inspections of food establishments are not the answer to preventing food-borne illness, but more “smart” inspections were. We have heard that line before from past FDA commissioners and that thinking has gotten us to where we are today. “Smart” inspections has been code in the past to fewer inspections, not more. It seems that she is being advised by some of the same people who have fought for decades transforming the FDA into an inspection agency. This is very troubling.
FDA publicly says that it wants to prevent food-borne illnesses. But it seems that the agency still wants to rely on the honor system and let industry police itself. You need “cops-on-the-beat” to prevent problems from happening. Otherwise, FDA will continue to be the fire department that puts out the fire after people have already been injured. The recent food-borne illness outbreaks prove that a paradigm shift is needed at FDA, but as long as there is resistance by key leaders within that agency to commit to a rigorous food inspection program, more consumers will get sick and even die.
To make a healthy batch of cookies from scratch, see this Guilt-Free Golden Door Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe.
Food & Water Watch is an organization dedicated to the belief that the public should be able to count on our government to oversee and protect the quality and safety of food and water. For more information, go to www.foodandwaterwatch.org.
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10 comments
add your comment »Toll House cookie dough tastes like play-dough. Ick!
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EvaC...really? My daughter just graduated from high school, I have never heard of a no homemade cookie rule. If fact, her school still has bake sales for fund raisers! Yum!
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I don't trust any food product from Nestle. A large Swiss conglomerate that spends more money on convincing you that Processed Sugar is Good than on cleanliness is not a reliable source to police itself.
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I love making homemade cookies,but try giving your kids homemade stuff for school lunchs. It is sent home and kids are told to tell mom no homebaked goods. It might have come into contact with peanutes.This forces parents to buy snacks and Cookies from the store.
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Oops - totally messed up that correction - should have left it alone! :D I MEANT to type: "Our country is full of gigantically OBESE PEOPLE each of whom eats MORE in one day than many people elsewhere in the world eat in more than a week."
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p.s. typo: meant to type "each of whom eats more in one week"
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It takes less gas and is more gentle exercise to make one's own cookies - and, cookies are not a necessity unless one is a serious food addict. Btw, making VEGAN cookies is much healtier and kinder to our animal brethren - let alone to the environment. Vegan supplies last longer in your frij [soymilk and its products are vastly more user-friendly re: frij "life" than are any dairy products].
Our country is full of gigantically OBESE PEOPLE each of whom eats in one day than many people elsewhere in the world eat in more than a week. THIS IS OBSCENE.
Cookies? How about eating local organic fruit?!!!
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Its my view that the lazier we become when it comes to buying processed foods that we then bring home and make, the more e coli and other health issues we will see. Come on people. It takes less time to mix up a batch of homemade cookies than it does to go to the store by the rolled dough, open the plastic wrapper and then slice and bake. By planning ahead you can not only make two big batches cheaper but the look and taste better. And there is something relaxing and zen about making cookies from scratch that brings back or makes wonderful new memories. And think of all the energy it takes to prepackage the store dough, ship it across country and then sell. Would you eat cookie dough that had set in some strangers refrigerator for weeks? Its time people got back to doing things from scratch, and thus be healthier and happier as well. By the way stop and think how many hands have handled the premade cookie dough before it got to your home.
We never know if the item has been held at the coldest and safest temperature or that the person handling and packing the dough washed their hands after using the bathroom or when touching non dough items. Buyer beware.
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Just one more reason to make your own cookie dough. My kids and grandkids have all grown up eating cookie dough, HOMEMADE, and never gotten sick. We as a society just eat WAY TOO MUCH processed foods. We need to think about what we're eating, how it was made and where it came from.
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I always made my chocolate chip cookies from scratch-from the recipe on the bag of Nestle's toll house morsels-I never used already prepared dough-my mother did use it once and never again-the cookies just didn't taste right-they were made with lard instead of butter, margerine or Crisco like the homemade cookies were-they also had preservatives in them. Home made food is better for you, fresher, healthier and we as a society are taking chances with our health every time we eat something that has been pre prepared and only has to be sliced or just put into the microwave or oven for a few minutes-I believe we will be seeing more and more sickness if people don't learn how to prepare their own food using fresh ingredients and proper preparation of those ingredients so that they can be sure that the ingredients are as clean as possible before they cook and eat the products. Shortcuts because one is too busy to cook is not a financially sound practice anyway-if you don't have time to cook-go to a good restaurant, otherwise-take the time to fix food for yourself and family-it is an expression of love, brings families together and is far healthier.
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