E. coli found in Nestle Toll House cookie dough

Toll House cookie dough from Nestle is found to be laced with traces of E. coli. Nestle USA on Friday voluntarily recalled dozens of Toll House refrigerated cookie dough products after a number of illnesses were reported by those who ate the dough raw. I don't understand why those people have to eat the raw dough.

The recall covers all varieties of prepackaged, refrigerated cookie dough but does not include Toll House chocolate chips or baking bars, or Dreyer's and Edy's ice cream products with Nestle Toll House cookie dough ingredients.

The company said the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control are investigating reported E. coli illnesses that might be related to the ingestion of the raw cookie dough.

The FDA said there have been 66 reports of illness across 28 states since March. About 25 people have been hospitalized, but no one has died.

The FDA advised consumers to throw away any prepackaged, refrigerated Nestle Toll House cookie dough products. Retailers, restauranteurs and employees at other food-service operations should also not sell or serve any of the products.

Nestle spokeswoman Roz O'Hearn said "this has been a very quickly moving situation." She says the company took action less than 24 hours after hearing of the problem.

O'Hearn said the company will cooperate fully with the FDA's investigation.

The recall includes refrigerated cookie bar dough, cookie dough tub, cookie dough tubes, limited edition cookie dough items, seasonal cookie dough and Ultimates cookie bar dough. It does not affect any other Toll House products.

E. coli is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause bloody diarrhea, dehydration and, in the most severe cases, kidney failure.

Here is a list of products recalled by the company:

COOKIE & BROWNIE DOUGH BAR
* Chocolate Chip bar 16.5oz.
* Chocolate Chunk bar 16.5oz.
* Walnut Chocolate Chip bar 16.5oz.
* Jumbo Chocolate Chip bar 16.5oz.
* Oatmeal Raisin bar 16.5oz.
* Sugar Cookies bar 16.5oz.
* Mini Chocolate Chip bar 16.5oz.
* Mini Brownie Bites bar 16oz.
* Fudgy Brownie With Peanut Butter Filling 19oz.

COOKIE DOUGH TUB
* Chocolate Chip tub 40oz.
* Chocolate Chip tub 80oz. (5 lb)
* Sugar tub 40oz.
* Gingerbread tub 40oz.
* Peanut Butter tub 40oz.

TUBE DOUGH
* Chocolate Chip tube 16.5oz.
* Chocolate Chip tube 32oz.

ULTIMATES COOKIE BAR DOUGH
* Ultimates Peanut Butter Cups, Chips & Chocolate Chunks bar 16oz.
* Ultimates White Chip Macadamia Nut bar 16oz.
* Ultimates Chocolate Chip & Chunks with Pecans bar 16oz.
* Ultimates Chocolate Chip Lovers 16oz.
* Ultimates Turtles bar 16oz.
* Ultimates Peanut Butter Lovers bar 16oz.
* Ultimates Chocolate Chip with Caramel Filling bar 16oz.
* Ultimates Chocolate Chip with Chocolate Filling bar 16oz.

SEASONAL COOKIE & BROWNIE DOUGH
* Valentine Hearts Sugar Cookie Shapes 15.5oz.
* Valentine Swirled Chocolate Chip bar 16oz.
* Fudgy Brownies With Raspberry Filling 19oz.
* Easter Eggs Sugar Cookie Shapes 15.5oz.
* Easter Swirled Chocolate Chip bar 16oz.
* Easter Swirled Mini Brownie Bites bar 18oz.
* Red, White & Blue Swirled Choc Chip bar 16oz.
* Halloween Pumpkin Pals Sugar Cookies 13.5oz.
* Halloween Swirled Chocolate Chip bar 16oz.
* Halloween Swirled Fudgy Brownies bar 18oz.
* Christmas Shapes Sugar Cookies 15.5oz.
* Christmas Swirled Chocolate Chip bar 16oz.
* Christmas Swirled Fudgy Brownies bar 18oz.
* Limited Edition Mint Swirled Chocolate Chip 16oz.

DISCONTINUED VARIETIES
* Valentine Hearts Sugar Cookies 13.5oz
* Easter Brownie Bar 18oz
* Easter Bunnies Sugar Cookies 13.5oz
* Halloween Sugar Shapes 15.5oz
* Christmas Sugar Cookie Tube 16oz
* Oatmeal Cranberry Cookie Tub 48 oz.

About Escherichia coli (or E. coli)

Escherichia coli (commonly E. coli; pronounced /ˌɛʃɪˈrɪkiə ˈkoʊlaɪ/, /iː ~/, and named for its discoverer), is a Gram negative bacterium that is commonly found in the lower intestine of warm-blooded organisms (endotherms). Most E. coli strains are harmless, but some, such as serotype O157:H7, can cause serious food poisoning in humans, and are occasionally responsible for costly product recalls. The harmless strains are part of the normal flora of the gut, and can benefit their hosts by producing vitamin K2, or by preventing the establishment of pathogenic bacteria within the intestine.

E. coli are not always confined to the intestine, and their ability to survive for brief periods outside the body makes them an ideal indicator organism to test environmental samples for fecal contamination. The bacteria can also be grown easily and its genetics are comparatively simple and easily-manipulated or duplicated through a process of metagenics, making it one of the best-studied prokaryotic model organisms, and an important species in biotechnology and microbiology.

E. coli was discovered by German pediatrician and bacteriologist Theodor Escherich in 1885, and is now classified as part of the Enterobacteriaceae family of gamma-proteobacteria.


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