Raw Cookie Dough & Raw Flour
Everyday exposureFood & drinkAlso called · 9 names▾▴
raw cookie dough, cookie dough, raw flour, raw batter, cake batter, brownie batter, uncooked dough, edible cookie dough, flour pregnancy
Eggs, dough & leftovers
General information · effects depend on amount, timing, and how it is used. About these sources
Research strength: 4 / 5
CDC says most flour is raw and may carry germs such as E. coli and Salmonella, while raw eggs can contain Salmonella. FoodSafety.gov tells pregnant people to cook raw batter thoroughly. NHS pregnancy guidance has a narrow exception for eggs under named UK schemes; eggs outside those schemes should be eaten well-cooked. A 2016 US outbreak study found tasting unbaked homemade dough or batter was associated with STEC infection in 22 matched sets (OR 36.02; 95% CI, 4.63 to 280.17); it was not a pregnancy study or a per-serving risk estimate. A 2026 laboratory study found the tested home-flour heating methods did not reach its nominal 5-log Salmonella-reduction target; its authors said consumer sufficiency remains unknown. CDC notes that some store-bought edible dough is made with heat-treated flour and pasteurized or no eggs and is labeled to be eaten without baking. Ask your provider about your situation.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-18
Sources
- CDC: Raw Flour and DoughUS government
- FoodSafety.gov: People at Risk, Pregnant Women
- NHS: Foods to avoid in pregnancyUK government
- Food Standards Australia New Zealand: Food safety for vulnerable people
- UK Government: Handling flour and flour products safelyUK government
- UK Food Standards Agency: Risk Profile, Imported Eggs and Egg ProductsUK government
- Crowe et al. 2017: Shiga Toxin-Producing E. coli Infections Associated with FlourUS government
- Nelson et al. 2026: Assessment of Home-Scale Heat Treatment for Reducing Salmonella in Multiple FloursUS government
Research strength: 4 / 5
CDC says most flour is raw and may carry germs such as E. coli and Salmonella, while raw eggs can contain Salmonella. FoodSafety.gov tells pregnant people to cook raw batter thoroughly. NHS pregnancy guidance has a narrow exception for eggs under named UK schemes; eggs outside those schemes should be eaten well-cooked. A 2016 US outbreak study found tasting unbaked homemade dough or batter was associated with STEC infection in 22 matched sets (OR 36.02; 95% CI, 4.63 to 280.17); it was not a pregnancy study or a per-serving risk estimate. A 2026 laboratory study found the tested home-flour heating methods did not reach its nominal 5-log Salmonella-reduction target; its authors said consumer sufficiency remains unknown. CDC notes that some store-bought edible dough is made with heat-treated flour and pasteurized or no eggs and is labeled to be eaten without baking. Ask your provider about your situation.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-18
Sources
- CDC: Raw Flour and DoughUS government
- FoodSafety.gov: People at Risk, Pregnant Women
- NHS: Foods to avoid in pregnancyUK government
- Food Standards Australia New Zealand: Food safety for vulnerable people
- UK Government: Handling flour and flour products safelyUK government
- UK Food Standards Agency: Risk Profile, Imported Eggs and Egg ProductsUK government
- Crowe et al. 2017: Shiga Toxin-Producing E. coli Infections Associated with FlourUS government
- Nelson et al. 2026: Assessment of Home-Scale Heat Treatment for Reducing Salmonella in Multiple FloursUS government
Research strength: 4 / 5
CDC says most flour is raw and may carry germs such as E. coli and Salmonella, while raw eggs can contain Salmonella. FoodSafety.gov tells pregnant people to cook raw batter thoroughly. NHS pregnancy guidance has a narrow exception for eggs under named UK schemes; eggs outside those schemes should be eaten well-cooked. A 2016 US outbreak study found tasting unbaked homemade dough or batter was associated with STEC infection in 22 matched sets (OR 36.02; 95% CI, 4.63 to 280.17); it was not a pregnancy study or a per-serving risk estimate. A 2026 laboratory study found the tested home-flour heating methods did not reach its nominal 5-log Salmonella-reduction target; its authors said consumer sufficiency remains unknown. CDC notes that some store-bought edible dough is made with heat-treated flour and pasteurized or no eggs and is labeled to be eaten without baking. Ask your provider about your situation.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-18
Sources
- CDC: Raw Flour and DoughUS government
- FoodSafety.gov: People at Risk, Pregnant Women
- NHS: Foods to avoid in pregnancyUK government
- Food Standards Australia New Zealand: Food safety for vulnerable people
- UK Government: Handling flour and flour products safelyUK government
- UK Food Standards Agency: Risk Profile, Imported Eggs and Egg ProductsUK government
- Crowe et al. 2017: Shiga Toxin-Producing E. coli Infections Associated with FlourUS government
- Nelson et al. 2026: Assessment of Home-Scale Heat Treatment for Reducing Salmonella in Multiple FloursUS government
Raw Cookie Dough & Raw Flour — Breastfeeding
Research strength: 4 / 5
CDC says raw flour and raw eggs may carry germs and advises people not to eat raw dough or batter. UK government guidance also says uncooked flour products should be thoroughly cooked or sold as ready to eat. The sources reviewed describe foodborne illness from eating raw dough, not effects through breast milk; no breastfeeding-specific study was identified. A 2026 laboratory study found the tested home-flour heating methods did not reach its nominal 5-log reduction target, and the authors said whether they are sufficient for consumers is unknown. CDC notes that some store-bought edible dough is made with heat-treated flour and pasteurized or no eggs and is labeled to be eaten without baking. Ask your provider about your situation.
Last reviewed: 2026-10-18
Sources
- CDC: Raw Flour and DoughUS government
- UK Government: Handling flour and flour products safelyUK government
- UK Food Standards Agency: Risk Profile, Imported Eggs and Egg ProductsUK government
- Crowe et al. 2017: Shiga Toxin-Producing E. coli Infections Associated with FlourUS government
- Nelson et al. 2026: Assessment of Home-Scale Heat Treatment for Reducing Salmonella in Multiple FloursUS government
Pregnancy
The 2016 multistate investigation by Crowe et al. identified 56 STEC cases in 24 states. In 22 matched case-case sets, tasting unbaked homemade dough or batter was associated with infection (OR 36.02; 95% CI, 4.63 to 280.17). This was an outbreak investigation, not a pregnancy study, and its odds ratio is not an estimate of illness per serving. Nelson et al. (2026) tested home-scale oven treatments on Salmonella-inoculated all-purpose, whole-wheat, and gluten-free flours. None of the tested home methods reached the study's nominal 5-log reduction target; the authors said consumer sufficiency was unknown.
Breastfeeding
No breastfeeding-specific study was identified among the sources reviewed. CDC and UK government guidance address foodborne illness from eating uncooked flour products, and the Crowe outbreak study did not analyze breastfeeding or breast-milk transfer.
Cookie dough and batter may contain flour and, depending on the recipe, raw eggs. CDC says most flour is raw and may contain germs such as E. coli and Salmonella, and raw eggs can contain Salmonella. CDC says some products labeled for eating without baking use heat-treated flour and pasteurized eggs or no eggs.
What was tested
Crowe et al. compared outbreak cases with non-STEC enteric-illness cases matched by age group, sex, and state of residence; they tested flour samples and used whole-genome sequencing and traceback. Nelson et al. inoculated three flour types with Salmonella, then tested home-scale oven treatments at 177 degrees C for up to 10 minutes; the experiment used three biological replications with triplicate subsamples. These were food-safety studies, not studies of pregnancy, lactation, or infant outcomes.
Pregnancy guidance for raw eggs
- Source A says
- CDC and FoodSafety.gov say raw eggs can contain Salmonella; FoodSafety.gov says raw batter should be thoroughly baked or cooked before eating. (CDC: Raw Flour and Dough, FoodSafety.gov: People at Risk, Pregnant Women)
- Source B says
- NHS pregnancy guidance permits raw or partly cooked eggs from named UK assurance schemes, while other eggs should be well-cooked. (NHS: Foods to avoid in pregnancy)
- Why they differ
- The NHS exception is limited to eggs covered by named UK schemes. CDC and FoodSafety.gov give general US guidance and do not describe those schemes.
- What the evidence shows overall
- The UK egg exception concerns selected egg supply schemes and does not address raw flour. It does not establish that uncooked dough made with untreated flour is appropriate to eat.
- CDC advises baking raw dough and batter before eating and following the recipe or package cooking directions. (CDC: Raw Flour and Dough)
- CDC describes some edible cookie dough and brownie batter products made with heat-treated flour and pasteurized eggs or no eggs; it says to check that the label identifies the product as intended to be eaten without baking or cooking. (CDC: Raw Flour and Dough)
- NHS pregnancy guidance permits raw or partly cooked eggs from named British Lion or Laid in Britain schemes and says other hen eggs should be well-cooked. (NHS: Foods to avoid in pregnancy)
- UK Government guidance says uncooked flour products should be cooked thoroughly or sold as ready to eat, and that package instructions identify whether cooking is required. (UK Government: Handling flour and flour products safely)
- UK Government guidance says home heat treatments may reduce risk, but it cannot be certain that they eliminate harmful bacteria. Nelson et al. likewise reported that none of their tested home-scale treatments achieved the study's nominal 5-log Salmonella-reduction target and said consumer sufficiency is unknown. (UK Government: Handling flour and flour products safely; Nelson et al. 2026)
- Food Standards Australia New Zealand lists raw dough and batter containing egg as a higher-risk food for vulnerable groups, with cooked product as the alternative. (Food Standards Australia New Zealand: Food safety for vulnerable people)
- CDC describes washing hands, bowls, utensils, and countertops after handling raw flour, eggs, or dough. (CDC: Raw Flour and Dough)
General research, not specific to pregnancy.
UK government guidance says uncooked flour can cause foodborne illness in the general population and describes thorough cooking or a ready-to-eat label as the alternative.
- UK government guidance says illness from uncooked flour or flour products is rare, but advises that uncooked products be cooked thoroughly or labeled ready to eat. (UK Government: Handling flour and flour products safely)
- CDC says germs in raw flour and raw eggs can cause foodborne illness, and advises baking raw dough and batter before eating. (CDC: Raw Flour and Dough)
Experiences from moms and non-medical voices. Not medical evidence.
- CDC: Raw Flour and DoughUS governmentSecondaryPage dated 2025-11-24
- FoodSafety.gov: People at Risk, Pregnant WomenSecondaryPage dated 2026-10-05
- NHS: Foods to avoid in pregnancyUK governmentSecondaryIndependent check
- UK Government: Handling flour and flour products safelyUK governmentSecondaryPage dated 2024-04-11Independent check
- UK Food Standards Agency: Risk Profile, Imported Eggs and Egg ProductsUK governmentSecondaryPage dated 2024-11-27Independent check
- Food Standards Australia New Zealand: Food safety for vulnerable peopleSecondaryPage dated 2026-03-20
- Crowe et al. 2017, New England Journal of Medicine: Shiga Toxin-Producing E. coli Infections Associated with FlourUS governmentPrimaryPage dated 2017-11-23
- Nelson et al. 2026, Journal of Food Protection: Assessment of Home-Scale Heat Treatment for Reducing Salmonella in Multiple FloursUS governmentPrimaryPage dated 2026-03-02
Last reviewed 2026-10-18
Independent check 2026-10-18
Not yet clinician-reviewed
Ask your provider about your situation.