The Scary New Reason You Shouldn't Eat Raw Cookie Dough

We already know that we shouldn't really nibble of the deliciousness that is raw cookie dough, but now here's a second reason to hold off. 

The Food and Drug Administration in the United States just released an advisory that there's a new danger hidden within cookie dough: It's flour.

Investigations in the USA are underway due to an E. coli outbreak linked to flour produced at a General Mills plant in Kansas City, Missouri. So far, 38 people in 20 states have been sickened by the specific E. coli strain found in flour. The people who got sick ate or handled raw cookie dough using flour produced at that mill.

When people put the cookie dough in the oven, it kills bacteria that can cause symptoms like diarrhea and abdominal cramps, or even more serious symptoms like kidney failure. The same goes for the risk of Salmonella infection from eating raw eggs in the dough. The New York Times notes that you should wash your hands before and after handling flour, don't let kids play with homemade play dough, and seal your flour container to prevent contamination.

And yes, while this is all happening in the US, and not NZ, it's a timely reminder to just be careful with the food ya scoffing back, even when it's delicious cookie dough. 

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