Cookie Dough E. coli Mystery May Never Be
Solved: FDA
Source of
Article: http://www.aboutlawsuits.com/cookie-dough-e-coli-mystery-4802/ July 10th, 2009 After identifying three
different strains of E. coli in association with Nestle Toll House
cookie dough recalled last month, FDA investigators say they still may
never discover how shipments of cookie dough got contaminated or what the
exact cause may be for the cases of food poisoning reported in people from 30
states. The FDA is wrapping up
investigations into the E.
coli food poisoning contamination that led to a massive recall of all
Nestle Toll House refrigerated and prepackaged cookie dough products on June
19, as they have nearly exhausted all leads and have come up empty. Inspectors only found
“minor problems” at the factory where the cookie dough was manufactured, and
none of those problems seem to account for the contamination. To make matters
more complex, the strain of E. coli associated with the nationwide outbreak
is different than the strains found in samples of unopened cookie dough from
Nestle’s manufacturing facility in Danville, Virginia. At least 69 people
reportedly suffered from E.
coli food poisoning after eating Nestle Toll House cookie dough raw. Nine
of those cases involved hemolytic
uremic syndrome (HUS), a severe form of food poisoning associated with
kidney failure. Symptoms of E. coli food poisoning could include bloody
diarrhea and abdominal cramps. Most people recover in about a week, but some
are more susceptible to severe infections. While E. coli was found in
an unopened package at the factory at the end of June, FDA officials
announced on Thursday that the strain found in the factory did not match the
strain that had been making consumers ill across the country. There was also
a third strain of E. coli found inside a package of cookie dough taken from
someone’s home. FDA officials said it is
“unlikely” that they will ever discover the source, or sources, of the
contamination. Nestle has begun slowly
restarting production at the factory. Officials say they have cleaned all of
the factory’s equipment, discarded all of the ingredients, and are starting
anew with very strict testing. Several cookie
dough food poisoning lawsuits have been filed against Nestle as a result
of E. coli outbreak, most of which affected teen and pre-teen girls.
Packaging on all raw cookie dough products contains warnings that it should
not be consumed raw, but the practice is still very common. The CDC has
warned against anyone attempting to cook recalled cookie dough, as they may
spread E. coli contamination during preparation. |
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