Examiner Staff Writer
June 22, 2009
SAN MATEO — An 18-year-old San Mateo woman who said she was infected with E. coli after eating raw Nestle Toll House cookie dough filed a lawsuit against the company Monday.
Jillian Collins’ suit, filed in San Mateo County Superior Court, claims the company’s dirty facilities contributed to her contracting E. coli, a bacterial infection that comes from animal feces and can be spread through food.
“Nestle should really consider the cleanliness of their factories,” the Sequoia High School graduate said. “Everybody eats raw cookie dough before making cookies.”
Collins said she experienced severe abdominal pain, nausea and diarrhea after eating the refrigerated cookie dough; she was hospitalized for seven days, starting May 26.
The Food and Drug Administration has sent a warning against eating any varieties of prepackaged Nestle Toll House refrigerated cookie dough due to the risk of contamination.
Nationwide, 65 people in 29 states have been infected, with 25 being hospitalized, but there have been no deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.