Healthy Living

WARNING Of E Coli Breakout Don't Eat That Cookie Dough

by Brother Carlton 
07/10/16
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Do you love homemade chocolate chip cookies?  Most people do.  However, with the recent outbreak of E. Coli it can be dangerous if not deadly to consume raw cookie dough and we've probably all done so in the past when preparing to bake up a batch of fresh cookies.

Symptoms of E. Coli include: bloody diarrhea, severe stomach cramps, kidney failure, and even death. 

If you want to avoid these health outcomes, then you’ll need to check your kitchen shelves right away before using any flour for cooking or baking.

Back in May of 2016 General Mills initiated a recall but that recall was expanded to over 10 million pounds of flour because of four related food poisoning cases.

The recent recall has been expanded to include such brands like Signature Kitchens Flour, Gold Medal Flour, and Gold Medal Wondra Flour.

Gold Medal Flour is a very popular brand so there's a good probability you might have a sack or two stored away in your kitchen cabinet.

Check to make certain.

All three brands were sold at Safeway, Albertsons, Jewel, Shaws, Vons, United, Randalls and Acme retailers.

The CDC isolated a Shiga toxin-producing strain of E. coli (STEC O121) from samples of General Mills flour collected from the homes of ill folks in Arizona, Colorado, and Oklahoma. This strain can cause serious kidney damage, and even death in some cases.

Forty-two people in 21 states have already fallen ill from the contaminated flour. Of these, 11 people were hospitalized.

At this point, no cases of kidney failure or deaths associated with the outbreak have been reported. But with such a large quantity of potentially contaminated product, this could change quickly.

Those people most in danger are those with compromised immune systems which usually include senior citizens and small children.

If after a few days of consumption you notice any bloody diarrhea or abdominal cramps usually you should seek emergency medical treatment immediately.

According to a statement from GM, health officials linked an illness to raw dough or batter made with products produced last fall. These products are covered in the recall.

CDC officials warn that eating raw doughs and batters can have devastating health results. “Even tasting a small amount could make you sick.” This includes any raw flour products, regardless of whether they are on the recall list or not.

E. coli O121 can be destroyed through heat. This means you should always thoroughly cook, bake, fry, or boil any foods made with flour. In addition, be sure to thoroughly clean all cookware, utensils, and surfaces that have made contact with flour.

The CDC reports that if you are storing your flour without its original packaging or are unsure of its origins, you should throw it out immediately. Thoroughly sanitize the container before using it again.

 Any flour matching the recall criteria should be tossed instantly.

For questions, you can reach General Mills by calling 1-800-230-8103.

 Carlton Pruitt ministers the gospel to the Los Angeles area. Formerly a Hollywood actor (SAG member) and junk removal expert he now spends most of his time studying the scriptures, writing articles, hymns and poems and doing street preaching. See all his videos on https://www.YouTube.com/user/LAStreetPreacher CONTACT at [email protected]