Newswise — A Rutgers University poison control expert is available to discuss the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s warning about the dangers of tasting raw cookie dough.

“It’s a potential recipe for food poisoning – eating raw cookie dough, bread batter or cake and brownie mixes,” said Bruce Ruck, managing director of the New Jersey Poison Control Center at Rutgers University Medical School. “Raw ingredients may be contaminated with a variety of harmful germs, such as bacteria, viruses, parasites that can make anyone especially children and older adults quite sick, E. coli from the flour and salmonella from the eggs. Pay close attention to any symptoms. Raw products can cause serious gastrointestinal complications.”

Baked and other cooked food are safe to eat because cooking’s high temperatures kill bacteria. Remember to follow safe food handling practices when preparing, cooking and storing foods. Periodically check pantries, refrigerators and freezers to make sure recalled foods linked to contamination and outbreaks are removed.

Bruce Ruck can be reached at [email protected] or by contacting Alicia Gambino at 973-972-9280 or [email protected].

If you have a question about food safety or think a food poisoning situation may have occurred, do not hesitate to get help from the medical experts at the Poison Control Center, 1-800-222-1222. Poison control centers are a great resource for emergencies, information and prevention education. Help is free, confidential and available 24/7.