Cookie Dough Recalled Over Salmonella Outbreak

Consumers with a sweet tooth for raw cookie dough may want to think twice. Federal health officials, as well as health officials in the states of Oregon and Washington, are investigating a multi-state salmonella outbreak linked to Papa Murphy's raw cookie dough products.

The cookie dough products, Papa Murphy's Chocolate Chip Cookie and S'mores Bars dough, have been linked to 18 illnesses, including two hospitalizations, across six states – California, Idaho, Missouri, Oregon, Washington, and Utah. Although efforts to trace the specific source of the salmonella outbreak are ongoing, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said in a release, "Based on epidemiological data collected by CDC, 12 of 14 cases report eating food from Papa Murphy's and nine people reported eating raw Chocolate Chip Cookie or S'mores Bars dough."

Epidemiologists from the Oregon Health Authority are currently investigating an outbreak of illnesses, which all are infected with an identical strain of Salmonella. The patients in Oregon who reported having symptoms between April 1 and April 21 range in age from 20 to 57 years old. Meanwhile, the Washington State Department of Health said they are investigating six cases – one each in the counties of Clark, King, Lincoln, Pierce, Spokane, and Whatcom – including one hospitalization. Of those six cases, four people reported eating raw take-and-bake cookie dough products from Papa Murphy's.

Papa Murphy's, which is headquartered in Vancouver, Washington, sells uncooked or "take-and-bake" pizzas and cookie dough that are intended to be cooked at home. Raw cookie dough can pose severe health risks, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) noting that "most raw cookie dough is made with unpasteurized eggs or raw flour and can have germs like Salmonella and E. coli." Consumption of products contaminated with salmonella can cause salmonellosis, a common foodborne illness. Symptoms of salmonellosis include diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and fever, and typically occur within 12 to 72 hours of consumption. Although most people recover within four to seven days and do not require treatment, in rare cases, the infection can spread from the intestines to the bloodstream, requiring the individual to be hospitalized.

The FDA said in a statement, "The investigation is ongoing to determine the source of contamination and whether additional products are linked to illnesses. FDA will update this advisory should additional consumer safety information become available." Amid the salmonella outbreak, Papa Murphy's has notified franchise owners nationwide and has stopped selling and destroyed all Chocolate Chip Cookie dough and S'mores Bars dough at all stores. 

The company said in a statement posted to its website, "The safety of our guests is of utmost importance at Papa Murphy's Take 'N' Bake Pizza, so we are alerting consumers to an ongoing investigation with federal health authorities and certain state and local Health Departments regarding salmonella cases linked to consumption of raw cookie dough... We are continuing to work with health authorities, as well as relevant ingredient vendors, to support the investigation."