On Thursday, June 30, 2016 at 4:57:15 AM UTC-5, Travis McGee wrote:
> 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.€�

Not if you make YOUR OWN COOKIE DOUGH!!

John Kuthe...