Bloom

The kids have said they want to make chocolate chip cookies. Everything is out on the counter: mixing bowl, beaters, sugar, vanilla, chocolate chips, flour.

A new label on the flour bag catches your eye.

“Flour is a raw food,” the label says. “It should not be consumed uncooked, nor should dough made with raw flour be consumed uncooked. Flour contains naturally occurring bacteria.”

Bacteria??!! What? Yuck!

Your eyes are not deceiving you. Most bags of flour — whole wheat, regular all-purpose, cake flour, bread flour and self-rising flour — now contain a label warning against consuming flour in its raw form, which includes eating raw dough, whether made from scratch or a mix. This includes cookies, cakes, pizza, breads and muffins, biscuits, pie dough and pancake batter.

The labels are not required, but most companies that manufacture flour voluntarily put them on their bags of flour as a warning to consumers. Raw flour may contain amounts of Escherichia coli (E. coli), salmonella and listeria, all of which cause food-borne illnesses. The bacteria adhere to the grain while it is in the field, prior to harvest.

Processing wheat (milling or grinding) into flour does not kill the bacteria, nor does the bleaching process; only heating the flour, as during cooking and baking, will ensure the bacteria is killed. According to www.kingarthurbaking.com, a website for a company that makes several different types of flour, wheat — like all plants — contains bacteria and other organisms present in the environment.

The same steps used in safe handling of eggs and raw meat should be used when handling raw flour. These include washing all utensils and cooking equipment that have come in contact with raw flour, including cutting boards used to roll out dough. Wash your hands following contact with raw flour. Avoid using the same utensil used with raw flour with another raw product, such as fruits or vegetables. This is called cross-contamination and can transfer the bacteria from the flour to the other food. Follow all baking instructions including cooking time and temperature.

Flour and commercial mixes do not go bad but have a long shelf life. It is a good idea to check your pantry for mixes and bags of flour to see if any have been recalled. A full list of recalled flours and baking products can be found at the Food and Drug Administration’s recall list. If you have any, throw them away.

Some companies make edible dough and batters. These are made with heat-treated flour and pasteurized eggs, or no eggs. Read the labels to make sure the dough can safely be consumed without baking or cooking.

Also, do not use homemade cookie dough to make ice cream. Cookie dough ice cream has been treated to kill germs.

In addition, children should not sample homemade craft or playdough for the same reasons. This includes dough made for holiday craft projects.

Follow refrigeration instructions on package labels concerning storage of products before cooking or baking if the products contain raw flour or eggs. Store flour and raw foods separate from ready-to-eat foods. Since flour is in powder form, it can spread easily to other foods.

Sourdough starter uses naturally occurring strains of a bacteria species called lactobacillus.

These bacteria convert sugars from flour into lactic acid and convert yeast-produced alcohol into acetic acid, which give sourdough bread its distinct flavor. This very acidic environment makes it difficult for harmful bacteria to develop.

It’s rare for consumers to get sick from eating dough or batter containing raw flour, but it can happen. Even though it looks good, resist the temptation to lick the beaters or sample the cookie dough before it is cooked.

Even though you may not have gotten sick in the past, it isn’t worth the risk to yourself or your family members. The elderly, pregnant women, young children and those with compromised immune systems are especially susceptible to food-borne illnesses.

For more information on raw flour and raw doughs, consult the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control at www.CDC.gov.