Reminder: don’t eat raw dough

Salmonella poisonings in USA linked to flour and dough

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Published: June 2, 2023

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Papa Murphy’s chocolate chip cookie dough is the suspected source of salmonella poisonings in the U.S. Pacific Northwest.  |  File phote

It is tempting, but kids and adults shouldn’t eat raw cookie dough.

Or any kind of raw dough.

In late May, the United States Centre for Disease Control announced a salmonella outbreak that’s connected to raw cookie dough.

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The suspected product is Papa Murphy’s chocolate chip cookie dough and most cases were in the U.S. Pacific Northwest, including Washington state.

In total, 18 illnesses were reported and two people were admitted to hospital.

It’s a reminder that uncooked dough can contain bacteria like salmonella, which causes diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps.

“Some people — especially children younger than 5 years, adults 65 years and older, and people with weakened immune systems — may experience more severe illnesses that require medical treatment or hospitalization,” the CDC says on its website.

The outbreak from store-bought cookie dough was the second time this spring, where a significant number of Americans got sick from eating dough.

In April, General Mills recalled its Gold Medal flour bags (with expiry dates of March 27-28, 2024). The flour was linked to salmonella poisonings in 12 states.

Canada hasn’t had a major issue with contaminated flour and raw dough since 2017, when about 30 people got sick from E. coli — mostly in Western Canada.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled a list of products, including pie shells, tart shells and flour.

Health Canada and the Centre for Disease Control have information on their websites, reminding the public that flour can contain harmful bacteria, like E. coli.

People infected with E. coli can have a wide range of symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, headache, severe stomach cramps and diarrhea.

The CDC has a website called Say No to Raw Dough, which offers tips and information on how to avoid food poisoning from flour, dough and batter.

For more information, visit www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/communication/no-raw-dough.html.

Robert.arnason@producer.com

About the author

Robert Arnason

Robert Arnason

Reporter

Robert Arnason is a reporter with The Western Producer and Glacier Farm Media. Since 2008, he has authored nearly 5,000 articles on anything and everything related to Canadian agriculture. He didn’t grow up on a farm, but Robert spent hundreds of days on his uncle’s cattle and grain farm in Manitoba. Robert started his journalism career in Winnipeg as a freelancer, then worked as a reporter and editor at newspapers in Nipawin, Saskatchewan and Fernie, BC. Robert has a degree in civil engineering from the University of Manitoba and a diploma in LSJF – Long Suffering Jets’ Fan.

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