More Toll House E. Coli

by: count

Thu Jan 14, 2010 at 19:15:34 PM PST

Sample of Nestlé Cookie Dough Has E. Coli Bacteria

By WILLIAM NEUMAN
Published: January 13, 2010

The headline should read Samples...Have...

Two batches of Toll House refrigerated cookie dough made in Nestle's Danville, Virginia plant last week were contaminated with a strain of E. Coli.

[Nestlé] said that after last summer's recall, it began testing samples of every batch of dough for E. coli O157:H7, the toxic strain behind last year's outbreak.

This might indicate that the two batches were contaminated with O157:H7, although the NYT article does not say so explicitly.

Death by Chocolate?

by: Jill Richardson

Sun Nov 29, 2009 at 14:13:34 PM PST

Linda Rivera has just been trying to stay alive. Her cascading problems started about seven days after she ate the dough when her kidneys shut down and she went into septic shock. Then doctors had to remove part of her colon, which had become contaminated. Soon, her gallbladder was inflamed and had to be excised. Shortly after, her liver stopped functioning. It is unclear exactly what is causing her loss of speech, although the toxin produced by the E. coli O157:H7 bacteria can attack the brain.

Of all the victims, Rivera has spent the most time in hospitals -- about 120 days since May. She was recovering well enough at one point to go home for nine days but, during that reprieve, she had to be rushed to the emergency room three times.

It's now almost December. I was wondering - hoping - if Rivera was home safely with her family now, so I asked. The news was not great. She's still in the hospital but out of the ICU. She's no longer on a feeding tube, but she's still on a ventilator. She suffered a stroke as well as kidney and liver failure.

My thoughts and prayers are with Rivera and her family. This must be a very tough holiday season for them.

Smoking Cookie Dough: Found!

by: Jill Richardson

Mon Jun 29, 2009 at 14:47:42 PM PDT

Brian Hartman of ABC reports that FDA investigators today found E. coli O157:H7 at the plant in Danville, Virginia where Nestle makes Toll House Cookie Dough.

The bacteria, according to an FDA official, was found at the plant in an unopened package of raw chocolate chip cookie dough. It had been manufactured on February 10, 2009 but had not yet been shipped.

Investigators still do not know how the E. coli got into the dough. But finding this "smoking gun" package confirms they pushed for a recall of the correct product.

Nestle E. Coli Recall: Inspection Report & Other News

by: JayinPortland

Fri Jun 26, 2009 at 16:00:00 PM PDT

In a September 2006 visit, for example, managers at the Danville, Va., plant refused to allow a Food and Drug Administration inspector to review consumer complaints or inspect its program designed to prevent food contamination. The inspector found dirty equipment and "three live ant-like insects" on a ledge but nothing severe enough to give the plant a failing grade. [...]

The FDA can [currently] inspect the records if it invokes a bioterrorism law and shows that the agency has "a reasonable belief" that the foods pose serious health threats -- a high bar to cross.

While it may not be perfect, and while we definitely have to continue to keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't unfairly harm small, responsible producers when it's clearly these major food companies who are the problem when it comes to food safety in our current system; the food safety legislation currently in Congress will require food companies to provide FDA access to these records, and that's a very good and necessary thing.  "Company policy" should never be able to override our regulatory agencies' efforts to ensure that we aren't taking our lives into our hands every time we shop at the supermarket.

Details from the inspection reports, and a bit more, below the fold...

Update on Cookies & E. Coli

by: Jill Richardson

Fri Jun 19, 2009 at 08:59:17 AM PDT

If you DO have Nestle's Tollhouse Cookie Dough in your fridge, DON'T EAT IT RAW. Cooking it at 165F should kill the E. coli although you might want to just throw it away or take it back to the store as a precaution. Chocolate chip cookies are easy enough to make yourself and if you plan on simply eating cookie dough, you can leave the eggs out of the recipe, which I am including below.

Hands Out of the Cookie Jar - It May Contain E. Coli

by: Jill Richardson

Thu Jun 18, 2009 at 12:56:23 PM PDT

Over the last few weeks we have been investigating E. coli O157:H7 illnesses in several states.  All seemed unconnected.  However, common food items were uncooked Nestles Toll House Cookie Dough, Strawberries, Fruit Roll-ups and Ground Beef.  The vast majority reported eating Toll House Cookies.

Maybe it's time to put all of those foods on your "do not eat" list until further notice? However, local strawberries bought from your own farmers' markets should be OK - and if you've really got a hankering for ground beef, buy it from someone who will grind it for you or grind it yourself. That way you'll be eating the meat of one animal, not hundreds, and your risk will be greatly reduced.