Beware: Eat Raw Cookie Dough & You Might Get Sick

The holidays usually means baking some cookies but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says eating raw cookie dough can make you sick.

According to WZZM, the CDC says flour is not treated to kill germs like E.coli. The bacteria is only killed with the flour is actually cooked in an oven.

There was an E.coli outbreak in 2016 where over 60 people got sick because after eating cookie dough. Most people usually get better in a week or so but some people can develop serious kidney failure.

On top of the flour not being treated for E.coli, raw eggs that are in cookie dough may contain Salmonella. Like flour, the cookie dough needs to be cooked in order to kill the bacteria.

The CDC warns that kids can even get sick just from handling raw cookie dough.

Below are a list things from the CDC on how to properly handle food when baking or cooking with flour or eggs.

• Do not taste or eat any raw dough or batter, whether for cookies, tortillas, pizza, biscuits, pancakes, or crafts made with raw flour, such as homemade play dough or holiday ornaments.
• Do not let children play with or eat raw dough, including dough for crafts.
• Bake or cook raw dough and batter, such as cookie dough and cake mix, before eating.
• Follow the recipe or package directions for cooking or baking at the proper temperature and for the specified time.
• Do not make milkshakes with products that contain raw flour, such as cake mix.
• Do not use raw, homemade cookie dough in ice cream.
• Cookie dough ice cream sold in stores contains dough that has been treated to kill harmful bacteria.
• Keep raw foods such as flour or eggs separate from ready-to eat-foods. Because flour is a powder, it can spread easily.
• Follow label directions to refrigerate products containing raw dough or eggs until they are cooked.
• Clean up thoroughly after handling flour, eggs, or raw dough:
• Wash your hands with running water and soap after handling flour, raw eggs, or any surfaces that they have touched.
• Wash bowls, utensils, countertops, and other surfaces with warm, soapy water.