As for E. coli in cookie dough, that's still a puzzler
Source of
Article: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2009/07/cookie-dough-nestle-recall-e-coli-.html 5:24 PM, July 9, 2009 The
strain of bacterium found recently at a Nestle's plant in Virginia is not
actually the same as the strain blamed for an outbreak of illnesses in 30
states. The
FDA made the announcement today, and production at the plant is
reportedly ramping back up. Here's a new AP story and
a slightly fuller one from
ABC News, the second of which brings a third strain of E. coli into the
picture. And
perhaps more relevant considering the scarcity of facts, the list
of recalled products, the Food and Drug Administration's basic page
on the topic, plus one
from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But
if you're wondering how the investigators ended up pointing the finger at
cookie dough in the first place, here's an informative blog post
from a CDC officer investigating this outbreak. She writes: "There are no
short cuts. We talk to the patients, we look at the combined information, and
we generate hypotheses about the cause. Then we can refine our questions and
go back to the patients again to see which hypothesis holds true."
And,
as a bonus,
here's Michael Jacobson, executive director of the nutrition watchdog Center
for Science in the Public Interest, expressing outrage over Nestle's alleged
recalcitrance in cooperating with the FDA during inspections at the plant in
question. And
in other food safety news
this week: "Administration moves to bolster food safety net." None
of which explains the source of the E. coli blamed in the outbreak. -- Tami Dennis |
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