There's a toll to eating raw cookie dough.
The Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told consumers Friday not to eat prepackaged Nestle Toll House refrigerated cookie dough because the products may be contaminated with a potentially deadly form of E. coli.
Since March, at least 66 people in 28 states have gotten sick after eating the dough. The FDA and Nestle didn't identify the states.
Of those sickened, 25 people were hospitalized; seven developed a severe complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome, which can lead to kidney damage and is often responsible for E. coli deaths. So far, no one is known to have died from the contamination, according to the CDC.
Nestle, a Swiss food giant that runs its U.S. operations out of Glendale, has launched a voluntary recall of all varieties of Nestle refrigerated dough, including sheets, tubes and tubs of dough for cookies, bars and seasonal items.
"While the E. coli strain implicated in this investigation has not been detected in our product, the health and safety of our consumers is paramount, so we are initiating this voluntary recall," the company said in a statement.
Consumers were urged to throw away the dough or return it to the retailer where it was purchased for a refund. Consumers with questions should contact Nestle at (800) 559-5025 or www.verybestbaking.com "> www.verybestbaking.com . For more information on safe food handling practices, go to www.fda.gov "> www.fda.gov .
"We want to strongly advise consumers that raw cookie dough should not be eaten. This message also appears prominently on our packaging. Nestle Toll House cookies made from refrigerated dough are safe to consume when baked as directed on the package," Nestle said.
The FDA, though, said consumers shouldn't eat cookies made from the dough because bacteria could transfer to hands and preparation surfaces.
The recall doesn't include Nestle chocolate morsels, baking bars, cocoa or Dreyer's and Edy's ice creams that feature Nestle cookie dough.
The strain of pathogen connected to the outbreak, E. coli O157:H7, causes abdominal cramping, vomiting and diarrhea, often bloody. Most healthy adults recover within a week, but young children and the elderly risk complications, the FDA said.
In recent years, periodic E. coli outbreaks linked to spinach, lettuce and ground beef have sickened thousands and caused at least a dozen deaths.
