Nestle has voluntarily recalled all varieties of its popular brand of prepackaged and refrigerated Toll House Cookie Dough due to the risk of contamination with E. Coli 0157:H7 bacteria that cause serious food-borne illnesses. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, through an alert, is warning consumers who have any of these cookie dough products in their home to discard them. Cooking the dough is not recommended because consumers can still become sick by getting the bacteria on their hands and other cooking surfaces.
Retailers, restaurant owners and operators and those involved in other types of food service operation have been cautioned by the FDA not to sell or serve any Nestle Toll House prepackaged and refrigerated cookie dough products that are included in this product recall because of the serious risk of E. Coli infection. Since March 2009, there have been 66 reports of illness involving the Nestle brand of cookie dough products.
So far, 25 people were hospitalized with serious symptoms. Seven of the food-borne illness victims developed a severe complication known as Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS), a serious condition that can cause life-threatening kidney failure. Most of these cases apparently develop after several days of diarrhea – often bloody – due to infection with a specific strain of Escherichia coli (E. Coli). Both children and adults may develop HUS after E. Coli infections.
E. Coli infections typically cause abdominal cramping, vomiting and diarrhea with bloody stools. Young children and the elderly are at the highest risk for becoming infected with E. Coli and developing HUS, which can lead to serious kidney damage or even death. So far, no deaths have been reported as a result of these E. Coli contaminated Nestle cookie dough products.
If you have eaten any of these Nestle pre-packaged, refrigerated Toll House cookie dough products and have experienced any of these adverse symptoms, please contact your doctor immediately. You should also report your illness to state or local healthcare authorities. For a complete list of these recalled products, please visit Nestle's Web site (http://www.nestleusa.com/PubNews/PressReleaseLibraryDetails.aspx?id=133CC131-A79F-4E84-9C43-C9F99FE5BC99).
If you have suffered serious illnesses or complications as a result of E. Coli infections associated with Nestle cookie dough products, please consult with experienced personal injury attorneys, who will secure fair compensation from the negligent food manufacturer to help cover your medical expenses, loss of wages, cost of hospitalization and other expenses you may have incurred as a result of your illness. If you believe a certain food product was the source of your illness, you would be well-advised to stop using that product immediately, but preserve it so it may be tested for the presence of such bacteria.
SLS Consulting