--- title: FDA and CDC Warn Against Eating Raw Cookie Dough description: The CDC has issued a warning about eating raw cookie dough and batter before the holidays, thanks to the risk of E. coli and Salmonella. canonical: https://time.com/5475668/raw-cookie-dough/ author: Raisa Bruner article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-12-10T21:53:26.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T07:56:20.929Z og:title: It's Never the Season to Eat Raw Cookie Dough, CDC Warns og:description: 'Tis the season for holiday sweets, but the CDC has a warning for us all og:url: https://time.com/5475668/raw-cookie-dough/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: It's Never the Season to Eat Raw Cookie Dough, CDC Warns twitter:description: 'Tis the season for holiday sweets, but the CDC has a warning for us all twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # The CDC Reminds You to Avoid Raw Cookie Dough This Holiday Season > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=3fc49158-ceed-42b0-a499-4424d249f9d5&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1)  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Dec 10, 2018 9:53 PM UTC  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Dec 10, 2018 9:53 PM UTC The [holidays](http://time.com/5459230/little-drummer-boy-challenge-2/) can be a time of joy, but they can also be a challenge. Just think of all the [cookies](http://time.com/money/5469237/national-cookie-day-2018-get-free-cookies/): delicious — but definitely not to be eaten before they are baked. That’s the word from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which issued a [reminder](https://www.cdc.gov/features/no-raw-dough/index.html) before the holidays for people to “say no to raw dough.” Raw flour can contain the bacteria [E. coli](http://time.com/5460532/romaine-lettuce-unsafe-e-coli-cdc/), and raw eggs can carry the risk of [salmonella](http://time.com/5387198/honey-smacks-salmonella/) poisoning. Symptoms for salmonella poisoning can include diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps hours to a few days after exposure, the CDC explains, while [E. coli symptoms range](https://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/general/index.html) from severe stomach cramps to diarrhea and vomiting. While many E. coli infections improve within a week on their own, as do some salmonella infections, some can be life-threatening at worst. E. coli in raw flour was an issue back in 2016 [as well,](https://www.cdc.gov/features/no-raw-dough/index.html) when an outbreak that was traced back to a number of major-label brands impacted people in 24 states across the U.S. “When you prepare homemade cookie dough, cake mixes, or even bread, you may be tempted to taste a bite before it is fully cooked,” the CDC says. “But steer clear of this temptation—eating or tasting unbaked products that are intended to be cooked, such as dough or batter, can make you sick.” The agency warns not only against cookie dough, but also against raw dough or batter for “tortillas, pizza, biscuits, pancakes, or crafts made with raw flour.” Follow all baking and refrigeration instructions and wash your hands after handling these types of raw products, CDC says. FDA Commissioner Dr. [Scott Gottlieb](http://time.com/collection/health-care-50/5425001/scott-gottlieb/) had some fun with the safety warning on Twitter. > [](https://twitter.com/SGottliebFDA/status/1072144200114806784) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5475668/raw-cookie-dough/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5475668/raw-cookie-dough/"},"headline":"The CDC Reminds You to Avoid Raw Cookie Dough This Holiday Season","datePublished":"2018-12-10T21:53:26.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:56:20.929Z","description":"Raw cookie dough joins romaine on the list of foods to be avoided","url":"https://time.com/5475668/raw-cookie-dough/","keywords":["Newsfeed","food and drink"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Raisa Bruner","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5475668/raw-cookie-dough/","name":"The CDC Reminds You to Avoid Raw Cookie Dough This Holiday Season"}}]}] ```