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E. coli 0157 bacteria found in Nestle product
by Jamie Anderson - June 30, 2009 - comments
The presence of E. coli was established in the samples of Toll House refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough bar. The product had a "best before June 10 2009" label
Virginia, June 30: The presence of the toxic strain of bacteria, E. coli 0157, has been established in samples of raw cookie dough collected from Nestle S.A.’s (SIX: NESN) plant in Danville, Virginia, according to officials of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Surprisingly, the E. coli 0157 bacterium that lives in cattle intestines was found in a product, cookie dough, which is most unlikely to contain it.
Unexpected presence
The main ingredients of the dough viz. eggs, flour, milk, butter and chocolate are not known to contain E. coli 0157. Cookie dough could carry Salmonella, a bacterium found in raw eggs.
David Acheson, assistant commissioner for food safety at the FDA, said, “It raises the likelihood that it was an ingredient. And it really means that industry has to be constantly vigilant, because foods we think of as low risk could be contaminated with a deadly pathogen."
Meanwhile, the government agencies are still grappling to figure out how E. coli got into the Danville plant. The investigators are continuing with further testing.
Product recalled
Nestlé had, on June 19, of its own accord, recalled 30,000 cases of its refrigerated cookie dough from the market after the FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention linked E. coli related illness to the company’s product.
Nestle produces two major brands, Toll House cookie dough and Buitoni fresh pasta, at the Danville plant. The Buitoni side of the business has not been contaminated and therefore work is continuing unabated there.
The Toll House plant has however been shut down for 11 days in the wake of the “disappointing” information about E.coli from the government agencies.
Sixty-nine people are said to have been affected and fallen sick due to the presence of E. coli in raw cookie dough from Nestlé. 34 victims have been hospitalized. Nine of the victims have had severe kidney problems. Fortunately there have been no fatalities.
"We are very concerned about those who have become ill ... and deeply regret that this has occurred," the company said in the statement.