The FDA Says Eating Raw Dough Is A No-No

For those of you who like to eat raw cookie dough when baking some of your favorite treats, you [...]

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For those of you who like to eat raw cookie dough when baking some of your favorite treats, you might want to think again before indulging in uncooked batter or dough. The U.S. Food and Drug administration announced it is no longer safe to eat raw cookie dough or batter - even if you're using a recipe that doesn't use raw eggs, according to USA Today.

The report from a consumer updates from the Food and Drug Administration stated, "Eating raw dough or batter - whether it's for bread, cookies, pizza or tortillas - could make you, and your kids, sick, says Jenny Scott, a senior advisor in FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition." Not only should you avoid eating raw dough or batter, but also you should not allow your children to play with it as homemade "play clay."

The FDA warns that flour, regardless of the brand, can contain bacteria that is harmful and may cause disease. The FDA and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been investigating several outbreaks of infections as a result of eating raw dough. "Dozens of people across the country have been sickened by a strain of bacteria called Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O121."

In response to the recent outbreaks, General Mills conducted a voluntary recall of 10 million pounds of flour distributed under three different brand names including: Gold Medal, Signature Kitchen's, and Gold Medal Wondra.

The common "kill steps" according to the consumer update by the FDA mentioned that "during food preparation and/or processing (so-called because they kill bacteria that cause infections) include boiling, baking, roasting, microwaving, and frying." Also the update continued by saying, "And don't make homemade cookie dough ice cream either. If that's your favorite flavor, buy commercially made products."

While it may seem like the FDA is just trying to steal away your favorite flavored ice cream or one of your favorite treats, the reality is that eating raw batter or cookie dough can be extremely harmful to you and your children.

To learn more, check out the full consumer update on the FDA's website.

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