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Eating raw cake mix is a food poisoning risk – and this is the surprising ingredient to blame. Rules also apply to homemade playdough.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned licking the bowl after baking a cake increases your risk of E.coli.

Eating raw cake mixture, dough or batter, could land you with a nasty bout of food poisoning, experts have warned.

But while you may worry raw eggs are to blame, you would be wrong!

Uncooked flour is the surprising culprit.

The FDA has updated its guidelines following an investigation into an E.coli outbreak in the US last year, which was caused by the staple baking ingredient.

But don't worry, your cake and cookies are perfectly fine to eat once they are cooked as the cooking process kills the bacteria.

Leslie Smoot, a senior adviser for the FDA, said: "Flour is derived from a grain that comes directly from the field and typically is not treated to kill bacteria."

Bacteria found in animal droppings can contaminate grains which are harvested and milled into flour.

Most people already know the dangers of eating raw cake mix because it contains raw eggs, which increases the risk of salmonella.

But flour adds the additional risk of E.coli.

Jenny Scott, a senior adviser for the FDA said the rules also apply to homemade playdough.

She advised against giving your kids raw dough or baking mixes that contain flour to play with.

The UK Food Standards Agency also advised against eating raw flour.

A spokeswoman said: "We would advise that people should not eat uncooked cake mix unless manufacturers’ instructions say that it is safe to do so.

"Cake mix is not generally intended to be eaten in that state and some ingredients may not be safe to eat without cooking.

"While we are not aware of any particular current concerns in the UK with flour, we are aware that historical outbreaks of salmonella and E.coli have been linked with raw flour.

"Therefore, we do not advise eating uncooked flour or products containing uncooked flour because there is potential for it to be contaminated."

E.coli can cause nasty symptoms like vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach cramps and a fever.

Most people recover in about a week, but it can last longer.

In severe cases E.coli can cause a type of kidney failure most common in children under five, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems.

When cooking with flour make sure you wash your hands thoroughly before and after use to avoid the transfer of germs.

Make sure you keep all the raw foods separate from other foods at all times and follow the directions on cooking products.
Rutterman · 46-50, M
Thanks for spreading the word about this. I've always assumed that these things were unsafe to eat, but others might not be aware of the risk.
@Rutterman YW...I never knew about it until I read about it today!
Mguinm · 51-55, F
Very interesting! Yes I always thought it was the raw eggs. Never would have guessed it would be flour.

 
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