E. coli Prompts Nestle Cookie Dough Recall
The Minnesota Department of Health is investigating six cases of E. coli O157:H7 that it believes are part of a multistate outbreak associated with consumption of raw Nestle Toll House cookie dough.
According to a press release from the department, all six individuals became ill between May 3 and June 11. All six reported eating raw cookie dough of the Nestle’s brand.
State officials said the Minnesota cases range in age from 2 to 18 years of age; five (83 percent) are female. One was hospitalized. All have recovered.
The Minnesota news coincides with a Nestle recall of all varieites of Toll House cookie dough and with a warning from federal health authorities for consumers across the country not to eat or cook with the product.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued the warning jointly. The agencies said the dough shouldn’t be used, even for baking. That’s because there’s a chance that in handling the product, a person could contract E. coli.
The FDA said in a news release that at least 66 people have been sickened in 28 states by the same strain of E. coli O157:H7 since March 2009. Twenty-five victims were hospitalized, with seven of them suffering hemolytic uremic syndrome HUS, a severe complication of E. coli that can result in kidney failure and is the leading cause of E. coli deaths. As of this time, no deaths have been reported nationwide as part of the outbreak, the FDA said.
The recall includes all varieties of Toll House refrigerated Cookie Bar Dough, Cookie Dough Tub, Cookie Dough Tube, Limited Edition Cookie Dough items, Seasonal Cookie Dough and Ultimates Cookie Bar Dough. For a complete list of packages, click here.
National Food Safety Law Firm Pritzker Olsen Attorneys has begun its own investigation and believes more information will be forthcoming about cases in Minnesota and other states. The firm is one of the few in the nation that practices extensively in the area of foodborne illness litigation.
Over the years, Pritzker Olsen has collected millions for victims of food poisoning and currently represents E. coliO157:H7 victims, incuding sufferers of HUS. If you have recently been diagnosed withE. coli O157:H7, contact an E. coli lawyer at Pritzker Olsen at 1-888-377-8900 (toll free). If you have recently eaten or cooked with Nestle cookie dough and believe you may have contracted E. coli, see a physician immediately and have the doctor report the findings to the state health department.
E. coli O157:H7 produces a powerful toxin that can cause severe illness, especially in young children and the elderly. Symptoms include cramping, vomiting and diarrhea, often with bloody stools.
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