The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) moved Sunday to reassure the public that action was being taken to remove all contaminated cookie dough from the market. Ibrahim Al-Mehaiza' of Drug Affairs at the SFDA said the ministries of municipal affairs and commerce had been contacted to ensure the withdrawal, and noted that no cases of illness had been reported due to consumption of the products. The SFDA issued a warning Monday over 48 brands of prepackaged refrigerated cookie products found to have been contaminated with a potentially deadly form of E. coli. after 66 people in 28 US states fell ill from consuming contaminated dough, and Al-Mehaiza' said the SFDA was coordinating with the importer to contact sales outlets and remove products from display in preparation for a complete withdrawal conducted by the ministries of commerce and municipal affairs. Al-Mehaiza' said the lack of increase in reported illnesses above 66 was a positive sign and that all registered cases had been due to the consumption of unbaked dough, but warned against complacency in tackling the threat. “The microbes in their final stages can cause kidney failure in children,” Al-Mehaizi' said, “and these products and dough should not be ingested, especially when unbaked.” Nestle, the company producing the dough, informed the SFDA about the existence of the product, of which 48 brands are believed to be available on the Kingdom's markets, and announced in the US earlier this month a voluntary recall of prepackaged refrigerated Nestle Toll House cookie dough due to a risk of bacterial contamination.
