The Food and Drug Administration has issued a “consumer update” warning Americans not to eat or even touch raw cookie dough, bread dough, or cake batter.
The agency’s concern is not salmonella in raw eggs, but instead uncooked flour, which it says can harbour dangerous bacteria like E. coli. “The bottom line for you and your kids is don’t eat raw dough,” warns the agency. “And even though there are websites devoted to ‘flour crafts,’ don’t give your kids raw dough or baking mixes that contain flour to play with,” says the update titled, ‘Raw Dough’s a Raw Deal and Could Make You Sick’.