As a child growing up the days mom was baking in the kitchen were the best. She would make all sorts of goodies from bread to brownies. While the finished goods were amazing, sampling the myriad of doughs and batters in their uncooked forms was a delight that couldn’t be skipped.
Sneaking cookie dough, or licking the spatula after she was finished was a baking tradition. Mom was concerned with safety and took precautions to make the doughs and batters safe to eat by thoroughly washing the eggs to prevent salmonella and E. coli. The other ingredients were generally considered safe and no thought was ever given to the flour. It was assumed safe and free from bacteria.
But as it turns out flour can also pose a health concern. No pasteurization steps are taken to kill bacteria in the general commercial flour making process which means flour can be a carrier of disease. In fact, flour has been linked to outbreaks of E. coli. That has effected people all across the USA.
Many of the people that got sick were younger children and could be traced back to contaminated flour they either played with or ate in raw dough or batter.
It’s not all doom and gloom though, the take away from this is don’t assume things are safe and have been pasteurized. Every ingredient and product should be scrutinized and insured that it is safe for consumption.
Check labels and certifications to
ensure the ingredients are safe. Use the 1Source App and website to check
ingredient safety.
The common phrase is that “knowledge is power”
but knowledge is also safety as it allows us to make better and more informed
decisions about personal and family health.
So before sneaking that cookie dough, playing the flour game as a family, or
licking that spatula make sure the ingredients are safe to consume.