It’s been a tough couple of weeks for foods. First there was romaine lettuce and now, the CDC is warning against eating raw cookie dough. You can imagine which food caused the most outrage.
The CDC took the opportunity to announce this ahead of the holidays, ruining all of our raw cookie dough-eating plans. They released a statement called “Say No To Raw Dough!,” where they warned that the consumption and handling of these uncooked materials could lead to different diseases in children and adults.
When you prepare homemade cookie dough, cake mixes, or even bread, you may be tempted to taste a bite before it is fully cooked. But steer clear of this temptation—eating or tasting unbaked products that are intended to be cooked, such as dough or batter, can make you sick. Children can get sick from handling or eating raw dough used for crafts or play clay, too.”
Cookie dough batter contains raw flour and uncooked eggs, both of which have been associated with E. coli and salmonella. When you consume these ingredients in their raw form there’s an increased risk of getting sick and contracting a disease.
Despite all the evidence that suggests that eating raw cookie dough is dangerous, it’s really hard to resist the temptation. America is obsessed with cookie dough-flavored things, with the “flavor” having a prominent spot in ice creams, boxed sweets, and more.
me when the CDC says not to eat romaine lettuce vs. when they say not to eat cookie dough pic.twitter.com/fSxXGnn12l
— Shay Spence (@chezspence) December 10, 2018
Cookie dough fandom is a constituency you best not mess with. pic.twitter.com/rm1OUIMN0o
— Julian Routh (@julianrouth) December 10, 2018
Bury me with my romaine and raw cookie dough
— roxane gay (@rgay) December 9, 2018
If Rocky can drink a glass of raw egg, I can eat some raw cookie dough. https://t.co/tSI3uLZyMq
— Kimberly Ross (@SouthernKeeks) December 9, 2018
Despite the CDC’s many warnings, an article from The Washington Post claims that not all health experts agree on the dangers of raw cookie dough. Brian Zikmund-Fisher, a professor of health behavior and education from the University of Michigan, claims that contracting E. coli from raw flour is rare, and that there’s only real danger or exposing yourself to salmonella if the eggs in the mixture aren’t pasteurized.
“Because of this concern, when my kids and I make cookie dough, we never use regular eggs. Instead, we use eggs that have been pasteurized to kill any harmful bacteria without actually cooking the egg itself,” he explains.
Who knows what is contaminated or not nowadays. If you really can’t live without raw cookie dough then maybe vomiting and a few days of bed rest are worth it.
