Toll House dough may have E. coli

There’s a toll to eating raw cookie dough.

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

Since March, at least 66 people in 28 states have gotten sick after eating the dough. The FDA and Nestle didn’t identify the states.

Of those sickened, 25 people were hospitalized; seven developed a severe complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome, which can lead to kidney damage and is often responsible for E. coli deaths. So far, no one is known to have died from the contamination, 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 refrigerated dough, including sheets, tubes and tubs of dough for cookies, bars and seasonal items.

“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,” the company said in a statement.

Consumers were urged to throw away the dough or return it to the retailer where it was purchased for a refund. Consumers with questions should contact Nestle at (800) 559-5025 or www.verybestbaking.com “> www.verybestbaking.com . For more information on safe food handling practices, go to www.fda.gov “> 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 bacteria could transfer to hands and preparation surfaces.

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

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

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

The agency warned people who recently ate refrigerated Nestle dough and experienced digestive illness to contact their doctor.

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

On Wednesday, the House Energy and Commerce Committee approved the act, which gives regulators greater power to safeguard the nation’s food supply. 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.

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jerry.hirsch@latimes.com

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Nestle recall

What happened: Nestle has recalled all of its refrigerated cookie dough products, including tubes, tubs and sheets of cookies, bars and seasonal items. The recall affects all flavors. It doesn’t include Nestle chocolate morsels, baking bars, cocoa or Dreyer’s and Edy’s ice creams that feature Nestle cookie dough.

Why: The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are investigating whether the products are contaminated with a potentially deadly form of E. coli. At least 66 people from 28 states became ill after eating raw Nestle refrigerated cookie dough.

Action: Consumers should throw away the dough or, to get a refund, return it to the store where it was purchased. The FDA advised against baking the dough because bacteria could be transferred to hands and preparation surfaces.

Information: Consumers with questions should contact Nestle at (800) 559-5025 or visit its website at www.verybestbaking.com.

Source: Times research