E. Coli Found in Toll House Cookie Dough, FDA Confirms

A sample of raw cookie dough taken from a Nestle USA manufacturing facility contained E. coli bacteria, providing the first solid link between the recently recalled products and dozens of cases of food poisoning.

All refrigerated, prepackaged Toll House cookie dough products were recalled earlier this month after the FDA said it had received reports of consumers becoming sick after eating uncooked Toll House dough. So far, tainted cookie dough has been blamed for sickening 69 people in 29 states, including about two dozen who had to be hospitalized. There have been no deaths associated with tainted Toll House cookie dough, the FDA said.

People sickened by the dough reportedly ate it raw, which is not recommended because of the increased risk of food poisoning.

E. coli is a common form of bacteria that can cause severe food poisoning in people who eat contaminated foods or drink contaminated water. The elderly, young children, and people with weakened immune systems are most susceptible to E. coli food poisoning.

A Colorado-based meat processor has recalled about 300,000 pounds of beef suspected of being contaminated with E. coli bacteria.

Inspection Turns Up Tainted Dough

The FDA inspected the company plant in Danville, Va. after consumers reported becoming sick and collected samples of dough made there. Nestle said the sample that tested positive for E. coli was taken from a 16-ounce Toll House refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough bar with a “best by” date of June 10, 2009. The contaminated dough was produced at the plant on February 10, officials said.

Nestle and FDA officials are working to determine the source and extent of the E. coli outbreak. Nestle also has recalled some refrigerated pastas and pasta sauces made at the same plant as a precaution, though no illnesses have been reported from consumers who ate those products.

The section of the plant that makes cookie dough products remains shut down during the investigation. Pastas and pasta sauces are still being made in a separate section of the same plant, officials said.

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