Nestlé gets nod to start making new batches of Toll House cookies

After recalling all varieties of its refrigerated Toll House cookie dough last month, Nestlé is again making new batches, according to an announcement today by the Food and Drug Administration.

"After a plant shutdown, an investigation, and a cleanup, Nestlé is now using main ingredients from new suppliers and is making the cookie dough again," the FDA said in a statement. Consumers can identify the newly made products by looking for labels that say “New batch” on them. The recall of 47 varieties of dough made on June 19th remains in effect.

As of July 10 the Centers for Disease Control reported that 76 people from 31 states had been infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7. Of those, 35 people had been hospitalized, including 11 with a serious complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome. No one has died.

The FDA found E. coli in a sample of the Nestlé cookie dough, following reports that people had become sick after eating the product. Although DNA tests showed that the type of E. coli found in the sample was not the same type of E. coli found in the people who became ill, the FDA’s and CDC’s advice remains the same: Consumers should not eat the recalled refrigerated cookie dough. According to Nestles' Web site, the recalled dough had a day code of 9041 and a "Best before 10 JUN 2009" notation.

The FDA has wrapped up its investigation of the Danville, Va. plant (posted on its Web site) where the recalled dough was manufactured but said, "conclusions could not be made with regard to the root cause of the contamination."

Our take:  Although the new cookie dough is on its way to stores, don’t assume it’s safe to eat it without baking the cookies first. The FDA still hasn’t identified the source of the contamination. In our recent survey, 39 percent of respondents said that they often eat raw cookie dough when baking cookies, a risky practice given the potential for contamination by salmonella or E.coli.

Comments

[Elizabeth]

Could you post a photo of the new labeling which includes a shield stating "new batch"?