Nestle recalls all of its refrigerated cookie dough

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There’s a toll to eating raw cookie dough.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told consumers today not to eat any varieties of prepackaged Nestle Toll House refrigerated cookie dough because the products could be contaminated with a potentially deadly form of E. coli.

Since March, at least 66 people from 28 states have gotten sick after eating the dough. Of those, 25 people were hospitalized and seven developed a severe complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome, which leads to kidney damage and lifetime health issues and is often responsible for E. coli illness deaths. So far, there are no documented deaths from the outbreak, according to the CDC.

Nestle, a Swiss food giant that runs its U.S. operations out of Glendale, has launched a voluntary recall of all varieties of Nestle Toll House refrigerated dough, including Cookie Bar Dough, Cookie Dough Tub, Cookie Dough Tube, Limited Edition Cookie Dough items, Seasonal Cookie Dough and Ultimates Cookie Bar Dough. The recall extends beyond chocolate-chip cookies to all flavors.

The recall doesn’t include Nestle Toll House morsels, chocolate baking bars, cocoa or Dreyer’s and Edy’s ice cream that feature Nestle cookie dough.

‘While the E. coli strain implicated in this investigation has not been detected in our product, the health and safety of our consumers is paramount, so we are initiating this voluntary recall. We have been and will continue to cooperate fully with the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control in this investigation. Providing safe, high quality products to our consumers is our No. 1 priority,’ the company said in a statement.

Consumers with questions should contact Nestle Consumer Services at (800) 559-5025 or visit its website at www.verybestbaking.com. For more information on safe food handling practices, go to www.fda.gov.

‘We want to strongly advise consumers that raw cookie dough should not be eaten. This message also appears prominently on our packaging. Nestle Toll House cookies made from refrigerated dough are safe to consume when baked as directed on the package,’ Nestle said. The FDA, though, said consumers shouldn’t eat cookies made from the dough because the bacteria could transfer to hands and preparation surfaces.

The strain of pathogen connected to the outbreak, E. coli O157:H7, causes abdominal cramping, vomiting and a diarrheal illness, often with bloody stools. Most healthy adults recover within a week, but young children and the elderly risk developing complications from the illness, the FDA said.

Periodic E. coli outbreaks linked to spinach, lettuce and ground beef have sickened thousands and caused at least a dozen deaths in recent years.

The agency warned people who have recently eaten prepackaged, refrigerated Toll House cookie dough and experienced digestive illness to contact their doctor.

Critics of federal food safety efforts immediately jumped on this latest outbreak as an example of lax regulations. They said it was another example of why Congress should move quickly to adopt the Food Safety Enhancement Act.

On Wednesday, a key House panel approved the legislation, which gives regulators greater power to safeguard nation’s food supply.

The Energy and Commerce Committee gave its nod to the act. The legislation would give the FDA the power to force recalls of tainted foods -- the Nestle recall is technically voluntary -- and increases the frequency of inspections at food plants. It also allows the FDA to impose civil penalties on companies that ignore safety regulations.

The House will now consider the legislation. It has yet to be taken up in the Senate.

‘If there was anyone left in America who didn’t realize we need to reform the food safety functions at the Food and Drug Administration, this latest recall of Nestle Toll House Cookie Dough provides a sobering wake-up call,’ said Sarah Klein, an attorney with the Center for Science in the Public Interest in Washington.

‘For too long the agency has lacked the authority and the resources it needs to inspect food processing facilities, issue mandatory recalls, and punish violators. Once again the agency is forced to react after illnesses are already occurring, when the focus should be on preventing contamination in the first place,’ Klein said.

The legislation does not apply to meat, poultry and eggs, which are under Department of Agriculture jurisdiction.

-- Jerry Hirsch