'Just Say No' To Raw Cookie Dough, Health Officials Say

It's the holiday season, which means marathon baking sessions, and late-night trips to the store for that one missing ingredient. It also means the chance to snag a spoonful of delicious cookie dough. And when you prepare homemade cookie dough, or cake mixes, you may be tempted to taste a bite before it is fully cooked.

But health officials are urging holiday bakers to steer clear of this temptation because it can make you sick.

According to the Center for Disease Control, uncooked or under-cooked dough can contain harmless germs - but it can also contain the types of bacteria that could make you or your children sick.

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The CDC says that flour is not treated to kill germs like E. coli, which means harmful germs can contaminate grain while it’s still in the field or at other steps as it's produced. The bacteria are killed when food made with flour is cooked.

In addition, raw eggs that are used to make raw dough or batter can contain a germ called Salmonella that can make you sick if the eggs are eaten raw or lightly cooked. Eggs are safe to eat when cooked and handled properly.

This is why the CDC says you should never taste or eat raw dough or batter. In 2016, an outbreak of E. coli infections linked to raw flour made 63 people sick.

In November, five E. coli cases were reported to the CDC across Wisconsin, Ohio and Maryland related to Duncan Hines cake mixes.

Recalled products include 15.25 oz. boxes of Duncan Hines cake mix in Classic White, Classic Yellow Cake, Classic Butter Golden Cake, and Confetti Cake flavors, with various “best if used by” dates ranging from March 7 to 13, 2019.

Here are the safe food handling practices recommended by the CDC:

• Do not taste or eat any raw dough or batter, whether for cookies, tortillas, pizza, biscuits, pancakes, or crafts made with raw flour, such as homemade play dough or holiday ornaments.
• Do not let children play with or eat raw dough, including dough for crafts.
• Bake or cook raw dough and batter, such as cookie dough and cake mix, before eating.
• Follow the recipe or package directions for cooking or baking at the proper temperature and for the specified time.
• Do not make milkshakes with products that contain raw flour, such as cake mix.
• Do not use raw, homemade cookie dough in ice cream.
  • Cookie dough ice cream sold in stores contains dough that has been treated to kill harmful bacteria.
• Keep raw foods such as flour or eggs separate from ready-to eat-foods. Because flour is a powder, it can spread easily.
• Follow label directions to refrigerate products containing raw dough or eggs until they are cooked.
• Clean up thoroughly after handling flour, eggs, or raw dough:
• Wash your hands with running water and soap after handling flour, raw eggs, or any surfaces that they have touched.
• Wash bowls, utensils, countertops, and other surfaces with warm, soapy water.

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